Little Miracles
by Future Miss CSI60
Summary: An ordinary day, and ordinary case, an extraordinary child, and the miracle of an extraordinary family. BOOK OFFICIALLY ON HIATUS! [if anyone has any suggestions to get me out of this funk...I'm all ears!]
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Little Miracles

**Author:** Chella Belle

**Rating:** PG-13 to R for language mentions of rapes, violence, intense cases, and disturbing situations.

**Show:** CSI: Las Vegas

**Relationships:** Mainly NOFC but some of it is GS and hints of CW

**Summary:** An ordinary day, and ordinary case, an extraordinary child, and the miracle of an extraordinary family. Nick Stokes' week wasn't going so well. A pressuring mother, boss, and bunch of friends. But a chance case leads Nick into a devastated world worse than his own. Innocence, betrayal, fears…the combination leads Nick into a life he could have only hoped for. Could this be a new start to the beloved Texan of CSI?

**Disclaimer:** Nope…don't own the characters except for Regan, Anna, and anyone else who isn't in the show. But _oh_ if I did…dreamy sigh Huh? Oh! Sorry about that.

**Author's Notes:** I know some of ya'll have already read the first two chapters, but, if you're a nut about little details, then you should probably re-read them. When I went to post a new chapter, I was on the phone with my friend and wasn't paying attention to what I was doing, so I deleted the ENTIRE STORY.

Shortly there after, my internet crashed and I couldn't re-post the chapters. So I was completely bored to tears and decided to revise, re-read, and re-edit the chapters.

Okay, I'm a die-hard Nick Stokes/George Eads fan. I've tried to write mainly GS books but the NOFC parts seem to flow easier. So…I decided to break away and make a Tricky Nicky book. Don't despair my Geeklove babies, there is **some**, emphasis on 'some', GSR in here. And, don't worry Yo-blinger's I got ya back, with **some** CW. Also, my CSI lingo isn't always great. I'm sorry if I throw ya'll off.

As for the shippers…it's mostly Nick and another character. But, there are **small** hints of Grissom and Sara and the occasional Catherine and Warrick. Now…very rarely will ya'll hear from any other CSI characters besides Nick. I'll have Catherine or Brass or Sara come in every now and then. Eventually they'll all be together again chorus of singing angels but until then ya'll have to live with just Nick. Oh well……

As we know, Nick doesn't have a Daddy or Mommy or family in Vegas so…I've taken the CSI characters and created a psuedo family for him. (Is that how you spell psuedo? Hm…now that's a thinker.) Anyways, Brass is the Daddy (I know, I know, normally Grissom is….but like I said, I'm breaking away) Catherine is the mommy, and Sara is Nick's OFC's confidant. She really helps her with her relationship with Nick.

And as for the netiquette, stressed words are _italicized_, emphasized words are in **bold**, thoughts are displayed as such /-/ blah blah blah /-/ and please _please_ **PLEASE** pay attention to the dates because I will skip like, 3 or 4 days in between.

So…now ya'll know all the angles…let's get it on!

* * *

**Chapter 1:**

"**It's gonna be a _long_ night."**

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**Chapter 1**

**CSI Crime Lab**

**Conference Room**

**Tuesday May 3, 2004**

**10:04 a.m.**

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_Tap, tap, tap, tap. Roll. Tap, tap, tap, tap. Roll. Tap, tap, tap-_

Catherine Willows reached over and snatched the ball point pen from Nick Stokes' hands. "Tap it again, I _dare_ you." She warned. Nick frowned and leaned back in his chair folding his arms across his chest in confrontation. The rest of the inhabitants looked at each other wondering who would explode first, the fiery blonde, Catherine Willows, or the recently discourteous, Nick Stokes.

Sara Sidle gave up and sighed. Nick glared at her as though she had said something wrong. She coiled back from the stare and looked away. Warrick shook his head and gave an exasperated sigh. Nick snapped his head towards his direction. "You got somethin to say!" Nick barked sharply.

"Yeah, why are you being so hostile lately? For the past few weeks you've been rude, snappy and irascible. What's your deal?"

Nick stood up quickly shoving his chair back and knocking it over in the process. "I don't need to take this!" Nick stated and bumped into Grissom on his way out the door.

"Nick," Grissom wheezed. Nick's face remained in its original frown, "where are you going? I've got your assignments. You're taking Greg into the field for trainee time."

Knowing that in the field Greg's ignorance could be quiet stressful, the entire room rushed to stop this.

"I don't think that's a good idea!"

"I'll take him!"

"He can help me!"

They all shouted at once. Grissom looked at them flabbergasted; wondering why they were all so eager to take Greg with them.

"Sorry. But Nick is with Greg on this. 406, B&E, at the Belagio. Cat and Sara have a 419 in Henderson and Rick…you have a 430, animal bite, in the glorious hills of Trailer de Trash." Grissom smiled at his joke and dismissed himself. The rest of the group looked at each other wondering what insanity would befall them.

Nick stomped out of the room without a word. They watched him go and sighed. "'For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind.' Ralph Waldo Emerson." Sara quoted. She stood and walked out of the room.

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**Belagio Hotel**

**1:20 p.m.**

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Nick and Greg arrived at the scene in silence. Nick was pissed and tense, and Greg was cautious. Vartann met the two as they arrived. He sensed the immediate tension and got right to the point. "Two armed men came in through the front, shot a couple of rounds, injured three, and killed one security guard." He turned to point at a little girl. "Took a swing at the kid. She isn't talkin."

Nick didn't say a word, leaving Greg confused. He had only been in the field a few times and never lasted very long. Nick began to process without giving Greg any instruction. He stood there useless hoping Vartann would point him in the right direction. Nick stood up straight and turned to Greg.

"Start processing. You take the inside perimeter, I've got photographs. I follow, you take lead." he picked his camera from around his neck and ushered for Greg to go in front of him. Greg tentatively walked in front of him and slid on his gloves. He looked back at Nick to see if he was doing it right. Nick wasn't paying him any attention. He was looking around.

"It's gonna be a long night." Greg mumbled to himself.

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**Belagio Hotel **

**2:24 p.m.**

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A short while later, the duo was just finishing their hour and a half of processing…in silence. It had been tense, edgy, and unpleasant. All Greg wanted to do know was get back to the lab and process the evidence. Greg turned around to face Nick but he only stared at his feet. Nick looked at the man and remorse engulfed him. Nick sighed, "Look Greggo, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be a jerk and vague to you. Being in the field is an important experience for you and I shouldn't have been arrogant. Let's finish up here."

Greg smiled and nodded. "You wanna talk about it?"

"No. Not really." Nick shook his head and looked behind him at Vartann approaching.

"Hey, no one saw much of anything. I didn't get a chance to talk to the girl. She has forensic evidence on her." Vartann explained and Nick nodded.

"We're coming" Nick replied. The three of them walked towards the little girl sitting on the bench. Her brown spiral curls toppled over her shoulders and caramel highlights stood out with the light. You could see her big blue eyes from a mile away and her pale skin reminded him of Sara. The girl's knees were scrapped with scabs and scars. She was assuming the prisoner of war position and staring straight ahead. She didn't acknowledge anyone's arrival. Her eyes were empty and dark. Nick recognized the look immediately. He'd seen it before on many children's faces when they'd witnessed something they shouldn't have. An emotion and feeling beyond their years consumed them, no doubt imprinted on their minds and was bound to haunt them. He'd seen the look several times. On faces that he shouldn't have. It was the look of emotional and physical fear.

He walked towards her as Vartann started talking. "Hi. My name is Detective Vartann. What's your name?"

She didn't answer or move. It was almost as if she wasn't real.

"Is your Mommy or Daddy here?"

She still didn't answer. Vartann sighed frustrated. He threw his hands in the air and walked away. Greg looked at Nick wondering what to do. Nick cautiously stepped forward but made no move to touch her. He crouched down so that he was at her eye level. He gave a sympathetic smile and spoke softly. "Hey, I'm Nick Stokes. And this guy with the crazy hair is Greg Sanders. I know you probably don't wanna talk…" He paused a moment to open his kit. "And that's okay. But there is evidence on you. _It_ can talk _for_ you."

She looked up to him.

Nick stood up and turned around to pluck one of Greg's hairs. "Ow!"

Nick faced crouched to face the little girl again. "See this little white spot on the end of Greg's hair?"

She nodded.

"Well, that's called a-"

"A skin tag. I know. It contains DNA, chromosomes, basically your entire genetic make-up. DNA tells a lot about someone. It defines eye color, hair color, skin color, and who you're related to." She showed her finger to Nick. "And I know that next you're going to get my finger prints to eliminate them from, no doubt, the hundreds you've already collected. Then, you'll have to look for the trace gunshot residue. To see if I was anywhere near the guns." She spoke confidently but not smugly and kept a straight face, her eyes never left Nick's.

Nick looked at her amazed. "How old are you?"

"I just turned seven last month." She informed him and Nick stared for a moment. "I know who did it."

Nick looked down at her. "You know who hit you?"

She nodded.

"Was it the man with the gun?"

"One of them."

"One of them?"

She nodded once more. "Yes. There were three. They all had guns. One of them went to the counter," She pointed at the front lobby desk. "The other one made people move back and the third one hit me with his gun. He grabbed my arm and yanked me. Explains the bruising you were looking at before." She explained and Greg looked at Nick shocked. "They were all men, taller than you; they spoke English…other than that I can't tell you more about them."

Nick gaped at her. "Um…thank you…why didn't you tell that to the man over there?" He gestured to Vartann. The girl looked around Nick at Vartann. She looked back at Nick.

"He was rude."

Nick looked over at Greg who was writing everything down. "Write that down." Nick whispered and Greg nodded.

"You have weird hair." The child said.

"Thank you." Greg smiled and nodded his head. She smirked and looked at Nick.

"My name is Regan. Regan Delmarco."

"Well Regan, since you know so much about Forensics, you know that it would really help if I collected the evidence off you." She nodded.

"Go ahead."

Nick nodded and motioned for Greg to begin to process her. "Did you know any of the men?" Nick questioned and she looked up at him for a moment, then to the crowd behind him. Her eyes focused on someone behind him. Nick followed her gaze to see who she was looking at. He looked back at her and she seemed distant and scared.

She shook her head 'no' as Nick nodded knowing someone had scared her enough for her to lie. Nick was about to ask a question until Greg stood up.

"All done." Greg announced and began to pack up his supplies.

Nick sighed and nodded, "Thanks Greggo." Nick looked back at Regan and saw that she was watching Greg put the evidence away in baggies. Nick watched Greg make a few mistakes, and looked back at Regan to see her narrow her eyes. He smiled, realizing she was about to call Greg on it.

"Greg, aren't you supposed to put your gloves in a bag, label your evidence, and sign your name?" Regan asked and Greg raised an eyebrow at her. He looked at his evidence and realized she was right. Greg blushed. "You're a trainee aren't you?" She asked and Greg blushed further. "Hey, it's alright. Part of being a great detective is knowing to admit when you're wrong and correct it as quickly as possible. Otherwise…you can mess up, not only you're career and the case you're investigating, but the victim's families who need the closure."

Greg looked from Regan, to nick in shock. Nick pursed his lips to keep from laughing. Greg began to correct his mistakes and brought the evidence to Nick. "I'm sorry Nick…are you gonna lecture me?"

Nick chuckled, "No. I think Regan, a seven year old, did that enough for ya." Nick joked and Greg hung his head. Nick laughed and looked at Regan.

The little girl smiled back at him letting her teeth show. Nick chuckled and began to pack up his kit as well. "Well, Regan, are your mommy and daddy here?" She looked at her hands folded in her lap and shook her head. She began to pick at the tiny hole in her shorts. "Where are they?"

"They're...not here." She said softly. Nick looked up at Greg in sorrow. Greg mouthed the word, 'orphan', to Nick, who only shrugged. He kneeled down to become eye level with the little girl.

"Who is taking care of you?"

"Anna."

"Anna?"

As Nick asked the question a fuss by the door drew their attention. A police officer was trying to restrain a young woman. Nick stood up and walked towards them. The woman was shouting. "Let me go!" She demanded. Her voice was angry, and had a slight accent. The officer was arguing that she had to stay behind the yellow line. "Let me go now! That's my sister in there!"

Regan looked up. "Anna!" She yelled. Anna looked over at her and raced from the guard's grip. She crossed the line and ran as fast as lightning towards Regan.

"Regan!" She yelled.

"Anna!"

Anna picked up Regan and held her close. "Honey, oh honey. I'm so sorry. Are you okay? Are you hurt? Honey, I'm so sorry."

"I'm okay Anna. They took care of me." Regan pointed towards Nick and Greg. Anna surveyed them carefully, her Green Amazon eyes scanned them both lingering on Nick. She frowned and raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow at Greg's hair.

Nick surveyed her also. Her skin was a slightly paler than Regan's. They had the same nose and full red lips. Anna's hair was dark brown with a lighter brown shine in it and was clipped back. Her body was well sculpted, and her long legs were covered by a pair of sand blasted blue jeans. She wore a turquoise and gold tank top and pendent necklace to match her top.

Nick stepped forward, "Hi. I'm Nick Stokes."

"And I'm Greg!" Greg jumped in front of Nick and shook her hand ferociously. Nick nudged him in the back and gave him a stern look.

"Anna Delmarco." She shook Greg's hand, then Nick's.

"Anna, they were nice. They processed me for evidence, it was okay. I'm okay." The little girl re-assured the frantic young woman.

Anna looked over at the CSI's confused. "What exactly happened?" her accent was ambiguous and Nick tried to figure out what country it came from. It sounded slightly Spanish, a tad Greek, yet faintly Italian. /-/ Quite a mix. /-/ Nick thought.

"Regan witnessed a robbery. She was near the commotion so we had to gather trace GSR and recover her fingerprints and DNA."

Anna nodded slowly. "Can I take her home?"

Nick paused before answering, "No. We need to get her statement. But we need to do it at the station."

Anna paused also, and looked back and forth between the two men. She sighed. "Can I ride with her?"

"You can drive her if you'd like."

"I don't have a car." Anna admitted.

"Okay, you can ride with us." Nick gestured for her to follow.

The four made their way out of the hotel, and into the parking lot.

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**CSI Crime Lab**

**Captain Jim Brass' Office**

**3:46 p.m.**

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"Okay Ms. Delmarco, this shouldn't take long. I just need to get Regan's account of what happened." Brass explained. Anna nodded and rested her chin on Regan's head. Nick shifted his weight to his other foot.

Anna gently pulled Regan's hair to one side and stroked it affectionately. Regan was looking through the pages of one of Brass' law studies books from his late college years. She seemed to understand it well. Nick had explained to Brass how intelligent Regan was. At first Brass thought Nick was exaggerating…until her met her. He had tried to baby her at first and she called him n it and elucidated that she might have only been seven, but actually had the intelligence of someone twice her age. She continued to read the book and Brass smiled at her, and glanced down at his list of questions. "Regan, who took you to the hotel?"

"Josh." Anna answered.

"Ms. Delmarco, Regan needs to answer these please." Brass said. Anna frowned but Regan grabbed her hand.

"I can do it Anna."

"Who's Josh?" He asked Regan.

"Anna's boyfriend…I don't like him…" She let her thoughts trail off. Brass raised an eyebrow.

"Mean? How?" Brass inquired.

"He…hits me and kicks me." Regan answered softly and looked back at the book. Anna turned to the little girl in shock.

"He did _what_?" She jumped out of the seat and sat Regan down. She turned to kneel in front of her.

"Hits and kicks me."

"When!" Anna was distraught and frantic. Her accent seemed more evident now that she was upset.

"Miss Delmarco, we need you to remain calm."

"Remain calm!" She was full fledged panicking now. "How long! What else did he do?" She was pacing back and forth but stopped to look at Regan.

Brass motioned for Nick to take Anna out of the room. Nick nodded and stood up. He walked towards Anna and took her by the shoulders and gently led her out of the room.

He let her fume in the hallway. She was pacing like a caged lion and mumbling to herself. "I'm gonna **kill **him! How could he do this! The bastard!" She kicked the wall and was yelling. Nick took her by the shoulders again and led her down the hall. All of the conference rooms were filled, no offices were empty, and the labs were occupied. Nick led her into the break room and shut the door. "I can't believe him!" She punched the door and threw herself on the couch. She buried her head in her hands.

Nick watched her from a distance. He looked out the door and slowly walked towards Anna. He paused a few feet away from her. She lifted her head out of her hands and stared at the wall in front of her. Tears were on her cheeks.

/-/ I don't get it. I'm usually so good at comforting people…especially women. Why can't I comfort her/-/ Nick asked himself. He wanted to offer her words of condolence…but he was stumped.

"Anna…" Nick attempted to console her. She looked up at him slowly. He looked at her. Her features were hard and angered. The tears were beginning to dry to her cheeks and her green eyes were dark with pain. The flush in her cheeks was incredibly evident and her lips seemed to pout. Nick sighed and looked to his feet. "Anna this isn't your fault." He drawled softly.

"Yes it is." She grumbled miserably and dropped her head to her hands. She massaged her temples and sighed.

"Anna I saw her, there wasn't a mark on her. How could you have known?"

She sat up straight and shook her head. "No. No." She stood up and walked to the window and looked out at the city. "I had to have known. That's my job. I have to know these things so I can keep her safe." She turned back around to face Nick but didn't look at him. Instead, she stared into space. "I promised I wouldn't let that happen to her. I promised I wouldn't let what happened to…" She let her thought trail off as she wrapped her arms around her mid section protectively. Nick watched her with curiosity; wondering what the end of her statement was. She clutched her top tighter and became quiet.

"Happened to who?" Nick asked moving forward. He stood next to her and tried to read her expression. It was stressed, hurt, and sad. Lucky for Anna; the door to the break room opened before she had to answer. Anna's eyes never left the view and Nick's eyes never left her.

Sara had walked in and took the moment to survey the two occupants. A mystery girl was standing t the window in a protective position and Nick was watching her intently. Since Nick had made no signs of knowledge that she was even in there, Sara spoke up. "Hey Nick."

She finally earned his glance as he looked over. He blinked once then replied. "Hi."

Sara frowned and looked over at the woman, then back to Nick. "Who is she?" Sara asked curiously. Nick looked over at Sara once again.

Anna's form blew past Sara and down the hallway. Sara was startled to say the least. She looked back at Nick. "Who was that?"

Nick didn't answer. He stared at her then moved past her to follow Anna's path. Sara threw her hands in the air and shook her head.

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**CSI Crime Lab **

**Hallway**

**Tuesday May 3, 2004**

**4:07 p.m.**

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Nick walked the halls of the lab trying to locate Anna. He couldn't find her anywhere. He brushed into Brass' office without knocking. "Where's Anna?" Nick demanded.

Brass looked up at him slowly and raised an eyebrow at his informal manner. "Well hello to you too Nick."

"Hi where's Anna?" Nick leaned forward and rested his knuckles on Brass' desk. His gaze didn't falter from Brass'.

"Who?" Brass sighed exasperated.

"Ms. Delmarco and Regan. Where are they?"

Brass sighed and shuffled the papers on his desk. He was quiet for a while; he signed his signature on several papers, and then folded his hands on his desk and drew his gaze to Nick. "They…went home." Brass finally stated. "Why?"

"I just…we were talking and she-I…" He let his sentence trail off.

Nick sighed and pulled away from the desk. He ran his hands down his tired face. Brass took the time to actually look at Nick. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks and was just thriving on Sanders' coffee. Nick seemed to have gained a face full of wrinkles from the last few weeks and added years onto his young face. He looked almost twice as old as normal. He needed to shave and eat. He looked parched and he could barely hold his broad shoulders up. Brass threw down his pen. "Be careful Nick."

Nick sighed and sat back. "What do you mean?"

"Nick." Brass warned, "You know better than to get involved in a case. Emotionally **and** physically."

Nick glared, "What exactly are you insinuating?"

"Come on Nick, I mean, you've been known to get 'involved' with your cases. You remember that hooker. She-"

"Hey _hey _**hey**!" Nick pointed his finger at Brass as he glared. He stood up and hunched over his desk. "'That hooker' had a name alright. Kristy. Her name was Kristy. And she wasn't just some girl I was bangin. I _cared_ about her. It was just shit luck what happened. And that was once. Okay, **once**."

"Once is all it takes."

Nick glared further. "If my memory is correct you were _involved _with Lady Heather. There's your physical, a freakin dominatrix." Nick mumbled. "And Ellie. Yeah I know she's your daughter but you went off the deep end. So don't come lecturing to me when** I** want to make sure someone whose had a rough day is alright. God Brass it's called empathy. Alright, _empathy_. Sara's got it all the time, yet no one says **a thing**! I can relate to Ms. Delmarco and you're pissed about it. I wanted to make sure she's okay! We both haven't been having to good of weeks! Alright? You don't _know_ me. You don't _live my life_. So **don't **judge me when it comes to me making a decision on how to live my life and help others!" Nick yelled and stormed out. Brass sat there stunned as Nick disappeared down the hall.

Catherine walked in with her mouth hanging open. "What was all that about?"

Brass shrugged, still in shock. "I don't know. I know he's been edgy lately but I had no idea…"

"He blew up at Warrick in the break room this morning. It was bad."

"What's his deal lately? He's been like this for weeks."

Catherine shrugged and sighed. She flipped her hair off her shoulder and shook her head smiling sadly. "I don't know." She looked out Brass' window at the parking lot where Nick stormed into his Tahoe and peeled out. "I just don't know."

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**Stokes Residence**

**9:23 p.m.**

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Nick opened his door and threw his coat down. He had been driving around for hours. He wasn't going anywhere in particular. In fact, if it hadn't been for his GPS in the Tahoe, he wouldn't have made it home.

He sighed again and slumped down in his chair. He had been out looking for Anna.

/-/ How stupid are you Nick? What were you thinking? Blowing up at your best friend, at Brass, Greg. All for some girl you don't even know. What were you thinking? You were driving around for four hours looking for someone you don't know. You don't know where they live. They obviously didn't want to talk to you…what were you thinking?

But…she did seem like she needed to talk. But she wouldn't…like she needed a little push. And that jerk boyfriend who hit that little girl. Anna seemed surprised so he probably put a face on in front of her. No doubt she's going to confront him about it. Who wouldn't? What is something happens to her or Regan/-/

"Ugh!" He moaned and threw the pillow over his face. "I need to sleep." He walked through his hall and into his bedroom.

He stared around the large and empty room. Until now, he hadn't realized hoe empty and homely it was. He sighed and kicked off his shoes and tore off his shirt. He fell down onto his bed wearing nothing but jeans and socks.

His mind raced with thoughts of Anna and Regan. Slowly, sleep consumed him.

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**Stokes Residence**

**Thursday May 5, 2004**

**8:21 a.m.**

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Almost two days later, Nick stirred awake. The ever vigorous city of Las Vegas was aglow outside, lighting the world around him. The people walked and talked. The cars sped by and lights dazzled. Nick sighed and reluctantly opened his eyes. He looked out his blinds covering his window. The slits let green, blue, and red lights into the room. Nick sighed.

He stood up and looked over at his window. He walked over to it and pulled two of the blinds apart to look out. He sighed as he watched the people walk around. He envied them. Not a care in the world. He sighed and walked into his bathroom. He peeled off his clothes and started the shower. He stared at his aged face in the mirror while the water warmed.

The annoying ringing of nick's phone drowned out the sound of the shower. His head hurt too much to bother with it, so he let it ring.

"_Hey you've reached Nick Stokes. Sorry I can't come to the phone right now, but leave a message and I'll get back to ya'll as soon as I can." _

He sighed as the beep sounded and a woman's voice picked up. "Nicholas Ryan Stokes, I haven't heard from you in _forever_. Would it_ kill_ you to say hello to your mother once in a while? For all I know your **dead**."

"Just about." Nick mumbled sarcastically.

"You've been acting so strange lately. And when are you going to bring a woman back to us."

"When I have time to find her…" Nick replied to his mother even though she couldn't hear him.

"Heck, when are you going to see come us just to say hello?" She sighed. "I know some nice girls who have heard all about you. They'd be glad to have a date with you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." He splashed water on his face to try to waken himself up.

"You need to settle down already and start a family. You're going on 34 in…"

"Three months, thirteen days, and twelve hours." Nick and Jillian Stokes recited at the same time. Nick rolled his eyes in mockery and sighed.

"Well give Samantha Richards a call. She wants to hear from you, like we all do. Well, I need to go. And so help my God Nicholas if you don't call me soon…" She warned, "Well we won't go there." She sighed. "Call me soon Nicholas. Love you."

The beep sounded signaling that her message was done. Nick threw his hands in the air in praise. "Thank you!" His accent sang as he shook his head.

He pulled back the curtain to the shower and jumped in. The hot water pelts hit his skin and he breathed in the steam hoping it would clear his head.

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**Delmarco Residence**

**8:24 a.m.**

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An annoying tugging of the sheets disturbed Anna from her sleep. She moaned and rolled over pulling the sheets back over her head to block the light from her view. What was that annoying tugging?

"Anna?" A tiny voice whispered. In an instant Anna rolled over to see Regan's little face. A few tears stained her cheeks.

Anna sat up and moved the bed sheets. "Crawl in Raggs. Honey what is it?"

"Your eye, what happened…where is Josh?" Regan asked although she already knew the answers.

Anna sighed and began to wipe the tears from her eyes. "He's gone. He isn't coming back. I kicked him out."

"Did he hit you?" Regan asked softly.

Anna sighed, "No. I fell." Her accent was almost completely gone because of her calm state.

"But I heard you. He yelled and called you names and you told him to get out and he hit you and threw you down. And he-"

"Okay, okay. It doesn't matter now. Its okay honey." She sighed and looked over at her night stand. "Oh shit! Damn you have to be in school in six minuets! Quick go get dressed. Thank God I picked out your clothes last night." Anna remarked and threw open her drawers. She pulled out a low cut, white, button up, dress shirt, with the sleeves ending just above her elbows. She peeled off her T-shirt and contemplated putting on a bra. The shirt was low cut and the bra might show if she did. She looked down at her bitty B's and shrugged. "Who cares?" She replied and put on her bra. She buttoned up her shirt just enough so that the bra wouldn't show, and nothing else would, but low enough that it looked sexy.

She grabbed her sand blast jeans and threw them on. Slowly, Anna turned around in her mirror to examine her butt or what Regan called, her 'White girl J-Lo bubble'. The jeans seemed to enhance her best feature and she shook her head. Anna picked up her beaded Boho necklaces and put them on. She slid into her flip flops and applied mascara, lip gloss, eye shadow, and blush. She put an extra amount of concealer over her black eye, along with press powder, and hid it masterfully. She didn't have enough time to do anything with her hair so she left it with natural thick and wavy curls. Her hair was long and straight, but gradually began to form into thick curls about mid-way down her back. "Crap. My hair sucks."

"Anna!" Regan hollered from the door. "We have to go!"

"Chill pills babe. You're gonna be late anyway. You still need to eat."

"We don't have any food in the house, remember?"

"Shit."

"You're swearin a lot today."

"Sorry." She apologized. "Let's go." Anna grabbed her purse and keys and they hustled out the door. "Do you have your homework?" Anna asked as she slipped her sunglasses on.

"Yep."

"Did you do it?"

"No."

"_Regan_…" Anna warned wearily. They began to walk down the street to the public bus stop.

"We were busy all night. Besides, God knows I know it already. Ninth grade is too easy." Regan defended.

Anna sighed. "Do it during one of your other classes."

"It's my first class of the day."

"Fine Little-Miss-Smarty-Pants I'll write you a note."

"Thank you." Regan sighed and sat on the bench, but stood up immediately because the bus had arrived.

"You're welcome." They made their way towards the back of the bus and sat down. "I'm going car shopping today."

"With what? Good looks and charm?" Regan teased. Anna rolled her eyes and smirked.

"_No_. I got paid yesterday."

"How can you go car shopping on your waitress/maid money?"

"Hey, it's hotel help, not maid. And, uh easy." Anna replied matter-of-factly. "Remember Bill and Arlene Stafler?"

"Mark's parents?"

"Yep. Turns out, when I helped them fix up their new house, they didn't pay me enough at the time. They _really_ underpaid me. So…they paid me back **plus** a bonus."

"Oooooh! How much?"

"Enough to where we can get a _decent _car, go grocery shopping, pay this month's and next month's bills, and _probably _have a 'chick's night'."

"Whoa."

"Yeah."

"Why don't you call it a 'girl's night'? You call it a 'chick's night' instead of 'girl's night'. Why?"

"'Girl's nights' involve drinking and gossip and stuff you ain't gonna do till you're older and 'chick's nights' involve little people stuff. But they're still fun. Don't worry about it."

"But technically, I have the intelligence and maturity of a person more than twice my age. So, if you think about it, I'm old enough to have a 'girl's night'."

Anna shook her head, "Re-do your math sweetie, more than twice your age is about sixteen or seventeen, still not old enough to drink may I remind you. Plus, even if you are mature enough to handle a 'girl's night' physically you can't. Your body and mind are maturing at different rates." Anna smiled and looked out the windows at their surroundings. She pulled the cord on the bus, signaling that they need to stop. The bus stopped and they stood up and walked out the doors. "Okay. Mcky D's or BK?"

"Um…BK."

"Okay." They walked down the street and into the cool building. Anna pushed her sunglasses up and viewed the menu. "What do you want?"

"Number two with yogurt and milk."

The cashier behind the counter looked up. "Hello. Welcome to Burger King. Can I take your order?"

"Yes. I need a number two with a yogurt and milk, and a strawberry parfait with a coffee and muffin."

"$5.86."

Anna handed her the money, grabbed their food, and picked a booth. "Do I have to go to school?"

"Yes." Anna answered.

"Why? You didn't."

"Yes I did. I just couldn't go to college. I wish I could have. That way I could have a decent job. You need to get smart so you can get a good job and make money and have a good life. And look at the bright side, with your intelligence you're probably going to be going to college in a year or so. And then you'll have like, one year because you're so freakin smart."

"Ooh, butter that toast Anna." Regan joked and Anna chuckled. "Besides, I thought people say money doesn't make a life."

"Well that's crap. It might not make a life but it _sure_ does make life easier." Anna reasoned and Regan shook her head. She looked up from her food and smiled.

"Anna look!" She said happily and pointed to the front counter.

"What?" She turned around. "What are you pointing at?"

"Look who's at the counter." She said smiling. Nick Stokes was standing at the counter ordering food, oblivious to the people behind him.

Anna surveyed the counter not seeing anyone in particular. "Who?"

"The cop that was at the hotel yesterday. The one that was nice to me. His name was Nick Stokes." Regan silently prayed that he would look back and see them.

"Honey there was a hundred cops we saw yesterday." Anna shook her head and ate her parfait. Regan looked back to the counter just to see him leave.

"Awww, he left. You should have said hi."

"Raggs he was probably working a case or something. The last thing he needs is to be bothered."

"It wouldn't be bothering him. How much you wanna bet no one ever says hi to him. I think he's lonely."

Anna went back to her food and Regan sighed. She pushed her food around on her plate, not wanting to eat it anymore. Anna looked at her and sighed. "Alright, if I ever see him again I'll say hi."

"You shouldn't wait. You should go down to the police station and say hi."

"Now **that** would be bothering him."

"I think you like him."

"No."

"Well you think he's cute."

Anna sighed, "Alright, I'll admit he's _mildly_ attractive but that _doesn't_ mean I like him."

"Okay." Regan said sarcastically and began eating again. Anna sighed and ate her food.

"I **don't** like him." She told herself silently and Regan giggled.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**CSI Crime Lab**

**Conference Room B**

**9:30 a.m.**

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Nick walked into the conference room in a hurry. He threw down his stuff and sighed. "Sorry I'm late." He mumbled. "I over slept." Everyone looked at him shocked.

"I'll say." Warrick commented.

"Huh?" Nick asked looking around confused.

"Um…why are you here?" Grissom asked.

"I work here." Nick replied sarcastically.

"Don't you check your answering machine messages? Come on Nick, we left you one yesterday and one today."

"Yesterday?"

"Yeah. You missed work yesterday and we voted that you're not workin today. You need rest. You slept almost two days straight and you're still wiped." Catherine replied flipping her blonde hair off her shoulder. Nick looked around the table like a lost puppy. "It's the best thing for you Nicky."

"Guys?"

They all shrugged, "You need the time off Nick. You're stressed. You're under slept. And you really need to take a vacation." Sara explained softly.

"Why don't you go home for a while and rest. Hell, go back to Texas and see your folks. I know your mom is dyin to see ya." Warrick replied. Nick looked at him with a questioning glance. "She called." He explained. Nick rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Fine." He pushed his chair back and stood up. "Fine. How long do I take off?"

"A week."

"A week?" Nick gasped shocked.

"At the least." Grissom nodded and Nick sighed in frustration.

"Fine." He repeated once more. He grabbed his stuff and walked out of the room. He strode down the halls and out the building doors until the bright sun hit his eyes. He brought his sunglasses to his face and walked to his Tahoe. He threw in his bag and started the car.

Nick sighed in defeat and rested his head against the head rest. He sat with his eyes closed for a few moments, then sat up, and drove out.

The drive to his new apartment seemed longer than usual. Probably because the last time he drove home from time off was after Nigel. After the stalk had happened Nick quickly moved closer into Vegas, finding a nice apartment right off the strip. It wouldn't be any sane person's first choice, but lately, Nick didn't feel so rational.

He chose the first single apartment he could find and bought it immediately. He had moved in within a week, changed his address for work, and slept the entire week. He figured moving into a new apartment would give him a fresh start. He would have quit his job, but he loved it too much.

Nick walked threw his front door and threw down his keys, coat, and files and slumped onto the sofa. After sitting for only three seconds, he stood back up and walked into his kitchen. He opened the refrigerator door to see nothing but a six pack. Now he remembered when he went out for breakfast. He sighed and grabbed a beer.

Nick cracked it open and drank it down letting the cool liquid slide down his throat. He lay back on the couch and closed his eyes for two minuets. And within those two minuets, sleep washed over Nick like a heavy blanket.

**

* * *

A/N: So how was the first chapter? I always have trouble getting the book off and running even if I do already have it planned and outlined (I know, I know, I'm too organized). Well R&R and I'll try to post up the next chapter as soon as I can.**

Chella


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I'll try to post the next chapter by tomorrow but no promises. The week has been really hectic.

Just to let ya'll know, Nick may seem OOC but that's because (guess what) I'm trying something different. He's _kind of_ edgy, and he's still holding the Nigel Crane and babysitter grudge.

And…**DISCLAIMERI DON'T OWN 'JUDY' BUT I DO OWN 'LOU' **I just don't wanna get sued :)

**

* * *

Chapter 2:**

"**She's extremely bright."**

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**LVPD Building**

**Outside steps**

**Thursday**

**May 5, 2004**

**12:23 a.m. **

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

"What are you doing?" Anna asked herself. "He's probably really busy. No way does he want to be bothered. You were right before. Why are you letting a seven year old get to you? Even though she is a genius…"

A man beside Anna looked at her as though she was nuts. She blushed and walked up the steps of the building. Anna pushed open the doors of the Las Vegas Police Department and walked inside.

The cool air conditioning hit her immediately. She pushed up her glasses and looked around. A tiny red head sat at the front desk, typing away at her computer. Anna looked back over her shoulder at the door, but sighed when she thought of what Regan had said. She slowly turned around and walked up to the desk. The secretary looked up and smiled as she approached. "Can I help you?"

"Um, yeah, hi." Anna left her sunglasses on for fear of someone guessing about the black eye. She knew it wouldn't happen, but it made her self-conscious. "I'm Anna Delmarco. I was wondering if I could speak with Nick Stokes or Greg Sanders. Are either of them here?"

Judy looked at the computer, "Just a moment." She motioned. Judy typed and clicked on the computer sorting through files. Anna sighed and leaned against the counter. "I just started my shift so I'm not sure whose here." Judy explained and Anna nodded. "Um, it seems they both are. And they should be on break now so you can go back to see them. If you would sign the visitor's log and grab a visitor's name tag I can direct you to them." She handed the brunette the materials and went back to her computer. Anna bit her lip and signed the log, clipped the tag on and handed the clipboard back to Judy. "Okay, they're at the end of the hall, make a right, go to the very end and the last door on the left is the break room. If they aren't in there, then someone back there should know where they are."

"Thank you." Anna replied and Judy nodded. Anna slowly walked the down the hall. She saw the labs and lay out rooms, offices, and locker rooms as she passed. Soon she reached the break room. She peered through the glass and saw several people relaxing.

An older gentleman was working on a crossword while sipping coffee. His eyes wandered to the brunette Anna had seen yesterday, who was sitting on the couch next to a blonde woman. The brunette was being bugged by Greg, who was playing Jenga, by himself. The pretty brunette smiled and refused.

The blonde was glancing back and forth between the television and her magazine. A younger African American, sitting on the couch across from her was stealing glances at her, and she stole some back. Their eyes finally met, and they both adverted the other's gaze and blushed.

But there was no sign of Nick. Anna sighed and slowly backed out of view of the room and walked back to the front desk. She silently slid over her visitor's tag and walked out the door. "Okay, I tried." She told herself. "I tried to go say hi and no one was there. It's not my fault. If I go back again it'll be like stalking him." Anna walked down the street as the sun moved behind the clouds. She stopped at the bus stop and sat on the bench. "I need a car." She told herself getting off subject. She sighed and folded her hands, and rested her elbows on her knees.

"Tell me about it." A man next to her remarked. It startled Anna and she jumped slightly. The man smiled pleasantly. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you." He sat across the bench and mocked her position.

"No, it's alright." She assured him. He looked to be in his late seventies with graying hair and dark brown eyes. He was heavy set and tall. His brown skin matched his deep brown eyes. She smiled at him and looked forward.

"Where are you off to?" He asked politely.

Anna smirked, "The car store." Anna chuckled at the irony, as did the man.

"My name's Lou. Lou Barringer." He extended his hand. She smiled and shook it.

"Anna Delmarco."

"I would be off to buy a car but…at my age, what's the use?" He chuckled and Anna smiled.

"My sister's tired of takin the bus every day so..." She let her sentence trail off as the man gave a hearty laugh.

"Yeah, my grandchildren hate ridin the bus but it's all I know. I never did own a car."

"Really?"

"Yes Ma'am. I always thought they were a waste of money and time."

"Funny, that's what Regan says about school." Anna joked and the man laughed again.

"Is that your sister?"

"Yeah." Anna smiled and pulled out her wallet. She opened it and showed him Regan's school picture. "That's her fifth grade picture."

"She's in fifth grade there?" He asked astounded and Anna chuckled.

"That was actually from about two years ago. She uh…she's really smart. She's in ninth grade right now."

"Whoa. How old?"

"She just turned seven. April 14th." Anna smiled.

"You two look exactly alike."

"She's mistaken as my daughter a lot." Anna remarked. The man reached over and pulled out his wallet and a long line of photos unfolded. "Wow."

The man chuckled. "That's William, but everyone calls him Billy, he's the youngest, just turned ten months. And that Eric and Susie, fraternal twins, six years old. They're Billy's older siblings. Eric is the clown out of the two. Susie copies everything he does. I call them 'Thing 1' and 'Thing 2'. And the oldest of that family is Shania, she's thirteen and at that rebellious stage."

"Ahhh, she hates the world and everything in it and thinks they all hate her back." Anna nodded in recognition and the man chuckled.

"Yeah. She thinks everyone has it out for her. But Gary, he's her same age and her cousin on her father's side; he's the most polite young man I've ever met." The two smiled and he continued, "That's George and Jorja, best of friends even though they're brother and sister. George is six and Jorja is four. Jorja has an adorable little gap between her teeth, she hates it, but George calls it her 'Newman smile'. Marg is fifteen. She once climbed a tree just to chase some boy and punch him in the nose."

Anna laughed and listened to the rest of the story. "She had the biggest crush on this boy…I think his name was Turner, but he kissed her best friend, so she chased him like there was no tomorrow. And Angie, she and Marg, like oil and water. It's a shame really. They could be the best of friends but…" Lou explained and Anna nodded. "Paulie, David, Louis, and Mark are the four oldest. Twenty one, twenty two, twenty three and twenty four. Two doctors, a fireman and lawyer. They sure do make me proud. Then their kids; Diane and Amaud are Paulie's, Trevor, Rashad, and Annie are David's, Max is Louis's, and Reba is Mark's. Love 'em all to death."

"Whoa. That certainly is a big family. It's just me and my sister."

"Well, having a big family has its ups and downs."

Anna smiled and the bus pulled up to them. "It was nice talking to you." She replied.

"Aren't you getting on the bus?"

She shook her head. "I think I wanna walk." She smiled and so did the man.

"Have a nice day Anna."

"You too Lou."

The doors closed and the bus pulled away. Anna watched it drive and turned around. Anna pulled down her sunglasses, shoved her hands in her pockets, and walked slowly; looking at the ground and scenery as she did so. It was a beautiful day and she just wanted to enjoy the scenery. "Oh crap." She realized she needed to go grocery and car shopping. She began her walk to the high school so she could pick up Regan. From there they would head to the grocery store.

Anna smiled at the thought of seeing her little sister again and continued her walk.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Stokes' Residence**

**2:35 p.m.**

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Nick's eyes slowly opened as he realized he had fallen asleep on his couch. Nick rubbed his eyes and sat up. It was 2:35. "Shit!" He yelled and jumped up. He relaxed when he realized he didn't have to work…for a week. He sighed and sat back against the cushions of his couch.

/-/ What am I gonna do for a week? I'm not goin home cause they'll harpoon me about getting a wife. I can't work. What should I do/-/

"I think I'm going to die of boredom." He joked dryly. Nick picked up the remote and began to flip through the channels. He moaned and threw it down. "Is today like 'National-be-bored-Day'? I mean seriously." He sighed and went to his T-Vo and selected the game he had T-Vo'd last night.

He sat and watched it like a zombie, not really paying attention. His stomach grumbled and he looked down at it.

He sighed and stood up and went to the kitchen but remember that no food would be found. He sighed and hung his head. He didn't really want to deal with the grocery store but knew that he needed nourishment.

He went into his room and opened his dresser and pulled out a clean blue T-shirt and fresh pair of jeans. he slid into them and pulled the shirt over his head. He put on his sneakers, grabbed his keys and sun glasses and walked out his front door.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Zippy's Supper Mart**

**2:57 p.m.**

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Nick walked into the air conditioned super mart and grabbed a cart. He pushed it towards the first isle and began to throw various kitchen items into his cart. He grabbed bread, biscuits, dinner rolls, bagels, and moved onto the pasta section.

Nick came across five different options for spaghetti and picked up two boxes and tried to figure out the difference between them. He scrunched his eyebrows together and sighed. A commotion at the other end of the isle drew his attention.

"Anna I don't like that kind of noodles. They aren't the good kind."

"Regan, they're the same thing except this macaroni isn't shaped like Sponge Bob and his friends."

"_No_…Sponge Bob has more nutritional value, at my age that's vital for healthy youth." Regan informed her.

Anna shook her head at her, "Where do you get this stuff?" She asked and traded the macaroni box.

Nick smiled from ear to ear. Regan rolled her eyes and looked down the isle and saw Nick. "Hey!" She smiled and pointed; jumping up and down. She grabbed Anna's hand and dragged her towards Nick.

"Regan calm down honey. Regan no. Stop." But it was too late. Nick smiled at the actions of the little girl and Anna blushed. "Hi."

"Hi." Nick extended his hand and Anna shook it. Regan smiled at the exchange between the two. "Um…how have you been?"

"Good. And you?"

"Good." Nick answered and Regan rolled her eyes at how pathetic their interactions were.

"You should come over for dinner." Regan butted in, knowing that Anna wouldn't ask him. And let's face it, they needed a push.

"I don't know."

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Nick and Anna said at the same time.

"Please. Anna makes good Jambalaya. It's really yummy and healthy for you too. Please." Regan begged. Anna blushed again and grabbed Regan's hand.

Nick smiled. "Regan I don't think Anna wants me over for dinner." Nick explained to the seven-year-old.

"No, th-that's not it." Anna objected.

"Really?" Nick teased playfully.

"No it…no I just, um…" She looked at Regan and Nick, and sighed. "Dinner is at six."

Regan jumped up and down, "Yay!"

Nick chuckled and Anna gave a defeated smile. "Okay Regan, we need to go home." She grabbed the little girl's hand and walked away.

"Wait! I don't know where you live." Nick turned around.

Anna turned to face him and walked back wards slowly. "You're a detective right? An investigator?" She smirked and turned around. "You'll figure it out." She shouted over her shoulder as she and Regan left the store. Nick watched her walk away and couldn't tear his eyes from her butt.

He shook his head and pondered what she had said. "I'll figure it out? I'll figure it out…" he told himself. Wasting no time, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the lab. "Hi Judy its Nick Stokes. Yeah, could you put me on the phone with Warrick Brown? Yeah, thanks." He waited for a while until Warrick's voice came through the phone.

"Brown."

"Hey Rick its Nick."

"Nick, shouldn't you be on vacation? Relaxing or something?"

"Yeah, hey I need you to do me a favor."

"_Yeah…"_

"I need an address and number of a girl."

"Whoa, you pickin up dates through the lab now Little Buddy?"

"Ha ha. No, I was invited to dinner."

"And she didn't tell you where she lived or give you a number or…anything?" Warrick teased smirking and motioning for people to do their jobs instead of listening to his conversation.

"No."

"Uh huh."

"Don't judge."

"Wasn't plannin on it man. Alright…give me a name." He sat down at the computer.

"Anna Delmarco."

"Got it. She lives…out in the middle of no where. Take I15 for about two miles, then get on to Route 93 and make a left onto Route 168 to Overton. Go South East for about two miles and you'll come to a bus stop. From there, drive for about a mile and you'll come to, well the middle of no where. Just…look around I guess. She lives like, absolutely no where. Her phone number is 567-1937. Good luck man."

"Thanks Rick."

"Welcome Little Buddy."

"Would you quit callin me that?"

"Nope."

Nick huffed and hung up. Warrick chuckled and did the same.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Thursday May 5, 2004**

**Lake Mead**

**687 Lake Mead Drive**

**Delmarco Residence**

**5:38 p.m.**

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

The doorbell sounded, signaling their visitor had arrived. "I got it! I got it!" Regan called and ran through the house to the front door. "Hi Nick!" Regan greeted and pulled him into the house. "Anna's almost done with the Jambalaya."

"It smells really good."

"Anna, Nick's here!" Regan shouted.

"What!"

"I said, Nick's here!"

"Hon I can't hear you!" Anna shouted as they rounded the corner. She was dripping wet and wearing nothing but a towel. Nick's eyes widened. "Oh God!" She screamed when she saw him. She ducked back around the corner and hid herself. "Um…you're early."

Nick blushed and covered his eyes. "Uh…yeah. I figured I would help get dinner ready."

/-/ Um…yeah. She's wet…and naked. Not what I needed to see. /-/ Nick thought

"Oh." She said her voice shaky and embarrassed.

"I got you some flowers." He handed them around the wall and her hand came around and accepted them.

"Thanks. They're beautiful. Regan, why don't you show Nick the back yard?"

/-/ Oh God…tell me he didn't see my eye. /-/ Anna prayed.

/-/ Did she have a black eye/-/ Nick pondered.

"Okay. Come on Nick." Regan dragged him through the back door and Nick tried his hardest not to bolt out of the house. He had embarrassed himself after not even being there ten seconds.

Anna watched from around the corner as they disappeared out the door and sighed in relief. She clutched her towel tighter and ran around the corner towards her room.

She threw down her towel and slid on her white terry cloth robe. She surveyed her options of clothes and selected a long brown voile skirt, white ribbed tunic tank, and brown flip flops. Since she didn't have enough time to straighten her hair, she applied curl enhancing volumizing gel to it. "Nice…like a brunette Julia Roberts or Sara Jessica Parker." She smiled and did her make up.

"Anna!" Regan voice came from the back door. "Are you dressed!"

Anna chuckled and blushed. "Yeah, I'm comin!" She smiled and walked out of her room.

"Anna guess where I took Nick!"

"I don't know. The docks?"

"No. I took him to **The Fortress**."

"Oh." Anna smiled and looked up to see Nick smirk. "Explains the mess." She gestured to Regan's filthy little body.

"Except, he was too big to fit through the door." Regan frowned. Anna and Nick shared a laugh as Anna led them to the table. "I had lots of fun."

"Yeah, I can see that. You look like a big dirt pile. Go wash up." Anna instructed giving the little girl a light shove towards the back hallway.

Anna laughed, "Yeah well, that's her. It amazes me how resilient, clever, and amazing she is."

Nick chuckled and Anna nodded. "She's great though. What grade is she in?" Nick asked.

"Ninth."

"Really!" Nick asked amazed and Anna nodded. "Man, high school…" Nick shook his head. "She's extremely bright."

"Yeah. She's in ninth grade **now** and she'll be in tenth next year but I might have to move her into eleventh or something. She's not challenged enough as a freshman. She's in all honors classes and her teachers suggested the moving of grades but…I'm not so sure about it."

"Why?"

"Well, academically I know she could do it. Socially, no problem. She's my little social butterfly. It's not her I'm worried about as much as the other kids. Like, how are they gonna take to her? Will she be okay if they don't? Are they gonna be mean if she's smarter than them? I mean, high school can be a bitch. Pardon my French. But I know when I was in high school, the kids were brutal. She seems to be taking this year pretty well though."

"Well, why don't you try asking her? I mean, she's smart. She should probably get to decided about how her future turns out somewhat." Nick offered. Anna nodded and looked towards the back door. "Anna," Nick began and Anna looked over at him. His gaze immediately went to where he thought he'd seen her black eye. "How-"

Regan came out from the hallway, clean and freshly changed and smiled at the two adults. "I'm done." Regan proudly smiled and walked over to sit down at the table. Anna smiled and Nick shrugged. Anna poured their bowls and the three sat down at the table and began to eat.

"This is good Anna." Nick complimented. He moved his head past the vase of white daisies, baby pink orchids, and light yellow tulips he had gotten her. He glanced at her face and she blushed and gave a small embarrassed smile.

"Yeah it rocks!" Regan smiled from ear to ear.

"Thank you." Anna tucked her hair behind her ear and Nick smirked and went back to his Jambalaya.

"Done!" Regan yelled and jumped out of her seat and ran over to the counter. She grabbed Anna's house keys and sunglasses and dangled them in front of Anna's face. "Can we go for ice cream? Please, please, please!"

"Alright, just let Nick and I finish eating first." Anna reasoned. Nick smiled at her and the two continued to eat. Regan sighed and sat on the floor watching them. Anna looked over at her sister and raised an eyebrow. Regan rolled her eyes and walked out of the dining room and into the living room. She plopped down on the couch and began to flip through the channels mindlessly. Anna chuckled as she finished her Jambalaya. Nick did the same and in no time, the three were out the door.

"Do we walk or take my car?"

"Doesn't matter. If we take your car we can drive her to the park and let her eat the ice cream there." Anna suggested. Nick nodded and slid his sunglasses on. Anna did the same as Regan trotted along in front of them. Nick walked to the passenger side of his car and opened the doors before the girls got there. Regan jumped up excitedly at being treated so nice and Anna helped the little girl buckle in. Nick stood behind Anna and held the door; he closed it once she was done and she turned around to raise an eyebrow at him. "You always act so chivalrous?"

Nick smirked, "Yeah." Nick replied as though it was no big deal. Anna shook her head and closed her door before Nick could. He chuckled and climbed in the driver's side. "You always so independent?"

"Yeah." Anna countered matter-of-factly. Nick shook his head and closed his door.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Turtle Park **

**Ice-cream Counter**

**7:11 p.m.**

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Anna, Nick, and Regan stood at the ice cream counter getting ready to order. "I want a double-dutch fudge sundae." Regan announced.

"No." Anna immediately protested. "You won't sleep a wink if you eat that. You can have chocolate but no double-dutch fudge or whatever. No vanilla either."

"Vanilla doesn't make you hyper."

"She's allergic to Vanilla bean."

"Oh."

Anna turned back to Regan. "You're hyper enough, how about some strawberry ice cream in a waffle cone?" Anna suggested and Regan nodded. "What do you want?" She asked Nick.

"I don't know." He replied and glanced over to see her pull out her wallet. "Hey, no. I got this. You made dinner I got desert."

"Yeah well, you bought flowers and drove us here."

"So, you have to deal with 'Regan the Restless' after her ice cream. So this is my way of applauding you." He laid his money on the counter.

"You're nuts. But nice nick-name for her." Anna looked over to the rowdy girl hanging up-side down on the monkey bars of the jungle gym. She chuckled and looked back at Nick. "Certainly describes her."

Nick nodded. "So what kind of ice cream do you want?" He asked getting back to the original conversation.

"Mint chocolate chip please." She gave a smile and Nick returned it. He turned to the lady at the ice cream counter. "I need a strawberry ice cream one a waffle cone, a mint chocolate chip ice cream on a regular cone and a chocolate milk shake." Nick replied. The girl added up the total and Nick slid the money across the counter. Regan raced to the counter and began to jump up and down as the women behind the counter began to assemble the ice creams. One of the girls came over and smiled at Regan.

"Hello sweetie. What's your name?"

"Regan."

"Regan? That's a beautiful name." The girl smiled and Anna chuckled at Regan's blush.

"Thank you. What's your name?"

"Tina."

"That's a nice name too."

Tina smiled, "Thank you." She looked up at Anna and Nick. "Your daughter is beautiful." She informed Nick and Anna. They looked at each other and blushed.

"Um…" Anna began.

"She's not my daughter." Nick smirked and Tina blushed.

"Oh I'm sorry."

Anna shook her head. "It's okay." The lady handed her the cones and they walked away. Nick stole a glance at Anna to see her reaction to the misunderstanding. She seemed calm, cooled, and collected. Regan was playing on the jungle gym when they approached her. Anna handed her the cone. "Don't drop it." She warned and Regan nodded.

"I won't."

Anna walked over to the swings and she and Nick sat down. Anna sighed.

Nick surveyed her mood and decided to bring up their conversation from earlier. "I think you should leave in tenth next year, see how she does, and if she needs to, move her to eleventh." Nick nodded his head and began to eat his milkshake. "I think she'd do really well."

"Yeah." Anna agreed and looked over at the little girl playing. "Besides, if she doesn't then I can always take her back to tenth. It's kinda funny, she's so intelligent and has academic skills so beyond her years and understands so many things…yet she still enjoys doing things that kids her age do." Nick chuckled.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments.

"What happened to your accent?" He changed the subject, and she looked over at him.

"What?" Anna asked confused.

"Your accent. One, I can't figure out what it is, and two, it comes and goes. Its really thick one minuet and barely visible to the next."

Anna laughed, "Oh…my mother was Greek and my father was Roman/Italian. And I lived in Mexico for about six years so…I guess that's where that came from. As for the disappearing thing…I guess it depends on my mood." She shrugged and went back to her ice cream.

"It's pretty." Nick commented. She looked over at him. He was looking out at the scenery beyond the fence of the park. He hadn't looked at her when he had said it and his eyes were squinting from the sun. His face was completely serious. She watched him for a few more seconds.

He finally looked over at her and their gazes locked. She smirked and ducked her head and glanced back up at him with a small smile. Her spiral curls had fallen to one side of her face and she looked absolutely tantalizing. She giggled and ducked her head again feeling positively giddy from his stare. He chuckled at her reaction.

"You're so easily flushed." He teased. And she blushed again. "See." She shook her head and chuckled. "Where do you work?"

She licked her ice cream. "I waitress at Al's Diner and I'm a hotel help or 'maid', as Regan likes to call it, at the Tangiers."

"Really? My shift and I eat at Al's all the time and my friend Catherine, her father owns the Tangiers."

"Sam Braun is her _father_?"

"Yep."

"Wow, from what I heard the guy's a real ass. No offense to her."

"None taken. She thinks so too."

Anna nodded. "So…you're a detective?"

"Crime scene investigator actually."

"Like a scientist/cop."

"Copologist." Nick replied and she chuckled.

"Nice. So what does that make me?"

"Girl who can cook and clean? How about house-wife?" Nick teased and she shook her head.

"Funny." She joked and licked her ice cream again. "So, why don't you work?"

"I do. I just have some time-off. I needed a vacation."

"How long?"

"A week at least. They said I'm under-slept."

"Yeah, I can see that." He looked at her questioningly and she shrugged.

"They said I worked too much."

"I can see that too." He looked at her once again.

"It kinda goes along with the under slept thing. Anyway, maybe you need a vacation. You shouldn't work so much, it'll kill ya." She joked and he chuckled and shook his head.

"That's what my mom says. She's always complainin that I never call her." Nick informed Ann, his accent thick. He took a sip of his milkshake. "She's naggin me about workin too much, never callin, or visitin, not settlin down with a wife and kids." He shook his head. "She expects me to be just like my brother Roger."

"So is he like the star child?"

"Sort of. It's either Roger or my sister Amy."

"Oh. How many siblings do you have?"

"Six."

"Six!"

"Yeah, six."

"Damn…how many each?"

"Just the one brother and five sisters."

"Oooohh, house full of women. That had to suck."

"No, not really."

"It's only me and Regan." She gestured to the little girl behind her.

"I wouldn't want to only have one sibling. I mean, yeah, It was crowded as a kid, but I wouldn't change it for a thing. I was never bored."

They chuckled. Anna sighed and looked behind her at Regan playing on the jungle gym. She was jumping up and down while chasing a few other kids. She tagged one of the little girls and the chase switched. Regan ran across the bridge, but tripped and dropped her ice cream. "Oops." She said and looked over at Anna guiltily. Anna rolled her eyes and crossed the playground to stand at her side. She sat her down and checked her for cuts or scraps. "Sorry Anna."

"It's okay. Here. You know, for a high school freshman, you certainly do act like a little seven year old girl on the playground." Anna joked and handed Regan her ice cream. The little girl licked the cone and smiled.

"Thank you."

"For what, the ice cream or joke?"

Regan smiled, "Both."

"You're welcome...squared. See I can do math too." Anna joked and began to walk away. "Be careful." Anna shouted over her shoulder as she sat back on the swing next to Nick's. He smiled and offered his milk shake. She shook her head and began to swing. "No thanks." He smiled at her and set his milk shake down and began to swing along with her. She smirked and pumped her legs harder, gaining more air. Nick took this as a challenge and pumped his legs. Anna laughed and swung higher than him.

When she had a good foot ahead of him she let go of the chains and jumped off. Nick saw this and gasped and let go too. She landed on the sand and fell. Nick jumped and landed a few inches next to her, he crumpled as soon as he hit the ground. She was laughing and he rolled over to look at her. "Are you okay?" Nick asked concerned, she nodded her head yes and laughed hysterically. Nick shook his head. "You're nuts."

She continued to laugh and they laid there laughing like two idiots. Nick stood up and offered her his hand. she accepted it and stood up. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" She bent her leg to release the pressure on her right leg. She raised her skirt to get a good look at her leg and it revealed a gash across her calf and a nice big bruise. "Oh…guess I'm not okay." She looked up at him and began to laugh again.

Nick raised his eyebrow and shook his head. "What was in your ice cream?" He joked and she laughed again and sighed.

"I need to get this patched up." She stated and sat in the grass to examine it further.

Nick walked over to his car and grabbed his first aid kit from the compartment in the passenger's seat. He walked back over to Anna and sat down. She looked up at him and smirked. "You carry a first aid kit around?"

"Yeah. Just for this kind of thing." He stated and smirked. Anna shook her head and rolled her eyes. Nick looked around the playground to see what could have caused the cut. He picked up a shell with blood on it. He tossed it in the trash. He knelt down next to her and gently grabbed her calf and examined the wound. "Nice job." He commented sarcastically. Anna made a face and Nick shook his head. The cut was from her mid calf, diagonally across to her knee. It was bleeding and you could see the sand crusted to the blood around it.

"Wow, that's nasty." She commented.

"Eh, I've seen worse."

She looked up at him questioningly. "Really?"

"Yeah, once, this model was found under a bridge, in a shopping cart, with her face picked to pieces, and a rat in her mouth. We thought her sister did it, but we found out she took a pair of tweezers and did it herself." Nick slid on disposable gloves and pulled some cleansing towlets out of the kit. He began to wipe the area around her leg.

Anna made a disgusted face. "Gross."

"And another time, a body was found at a construction site, his head had been beaten in with a hammer. Poor kid was only sixteen."

"Eww." He threw the towlets away and examined the cut.

"It's bleeding heavy." He commented and applied pressure to her pressure points on her hips. Within a few minuets the bleeding had stopped and he took out the hydrogen peroxide to clean the inside of the cut with.

He brought the cotton ball doused in hydrogen peroxide to her gash and she hissed in pain. "Sorry."

She made a face and watched him clean her cut. He threw the cotton ball away and began to wrap gauze around her leg where the injury was located. He had finished looked up at her and smiled. It hadn't occurred to her till now that he was holding her leg, very gently…and he hadn't let go.

Green met brown and their gazes locked. Anna didn't know whether the fluttering in her stomach was from the gruesome story, or having him look at her that way. She felt her skin flush and looked away, pulling her leg out of his hand in the process.

"Thanks." She said and inhaled a steadying breath.

She stood up and offered her hand this time. He smirked and she helped him up. Anna broke her stare away from his lips to Regan on the jungle gym. Nick did the same and tried to shake the thoughts of her long, well toned, legs out of his head.

Regan saw them and smiled. Anna smiled and waved her over. "Come on!" She shouted. Regan climbed off the gym and walked over to them, dumping the paper from her ice cream cone in the trash. She stood in front of the two adults. "Let's go." Anna grabbed her hand and ran a hand through the little girl's wild curls.

"Are we going home?"

"Yes." Anna answered.

"Do I have to go to sleep?"

"Yes. You have school tomorrow." Anna answered and Regan moaned and frowned.

"Hey, look at the bright side kiddo, tomorrow's Friday." Nick pointed out.

"Do you work tomorrow?" Regan asked Anna.

"Nope. I can if I'm bored, but with you I never have that problem." She teased and ruffled the girl's hair affectionately.

"Do you have to work?" Regan asked Nick.

"No." He answered.

"Can you come visit us tomorrow?" Regan asked hopeful. The three stopped walking and Anna looked over at Regan.

"Raggs, Nick's on vacation. I'm sure he doesn't want to spend all of his time with us. Besides, you'll be in school."

"Not the whole day. Just till 3:15. I can see him then."

Anna paused, "Well then its up to him." The two girls looked over at Nick and he smiled.

"I'd love to see ya'll tomorrow." His accent grew thick.

"Yay!" Regan jumped and skipped to the car. Anna chuckled and shook her head.

"She's so hyper."

"Regan the Restless."

"You can say that again." Anna joked.

"Regan the Restless." Nick mocked and Anna laughed and shoved him playfully.

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**Thursday**

**May 5, 2004**

**Delmarco Residence**

**9:47 p.m.**

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"_Anna_, I'm not tired." Regan mumbled in protest.

"_Sure_, so why are your eyes closed and you're yawning?"

"Do I have to go to sleep?"

"Regan." Anna gave an exasperated sigh. "We've been over this."

"_So_…explain it to me again."

Nick watched the interaction from the doorway of the little girl's room. Her theme was lady bugs and flowers. Little red, yellow, and orange lady bugs were crawling on flowers painted on her walls. Butterflies were floating in the paintings also. At the bottom of the walls was grass painted on it, and then green carpet covered her floor. Her ceiling was blue and had clouds on it. Several glow-in-the-dark bugs and stars were stuck to the ceiling and tops of the walls.

A corkboard hung from her wall above her desk. The cork board had foam behind it with pink satin covering it and green ribbons going diagonally one way, then criss-crossed the next, to hold it down. Several reminders and important numbers were pinned to it. Her desk had a cup of pencils, pencil sharpener, several folders, thumbtacks, paper clips, pens, erasers, lined paper, computer paper, a lamp, and several framed pictures of Regan and Anna.

They were standing at the beach and Anna had knelt down behind Regan and rested her head on the little girl's shoulder. They were both smiling and Regan had a daisy in her hand. The next picture was Regan with a butterfly sitting on her nose. Her face was scrunched but she was smiling. Her freckles were extremely evident and her skin had a sun kissed tan. Regan's spiral curls tumbled in front of her face and the daisy she had been holding was now behind her ear.

A third picture was Regan and Anna once again. They were standing on a sidewalk at a park with trees, and a fountain in the back ground. It looked like the park from Summerland. Anna was knelt down and Regan and Anna's index finger was extended outward as a butterfly tried to land on it.

The last picture was of Anna. She was lying on a patio, next to a pool. She was holding a light pink Asiatic lily to her nose. A slight smile gazed on her face and her freckle underneath her eye was more evident. Her porcelain shaded skin was more evident since she was in the sun, but her freckles stood out amazingly. A lone curl toppled into her face creating a seductive light to the picture. She looked like a model.

Nick smiled at the picture and continued to look around the room. Her dressers were white with the illusion of lady bugs crawling on it, grass at the base, and several flowers hanging from the top painted on it. Her bed sheets matched the room. They were white with lady bugs, flowers, and butterflies.

He sighed and shifted his weight as the battle of "nu uh's" and "uh huh's" was reaching its zenith. Nick sighed and held up his hands in surrender. "Regan, if you don't go to sleep now then I won't come over to see ya'll tomorrow." He drawled.

"Good night." Regan said quickly and lay down. Anna's jaw dropped as she turned around to see Nick snicker. She pointed a finger and pushed him out of the room playfully.

"No fair." She replied closing Regan's door and walking down the hall. "You had an advantage."

"Oh yeah? What?"

"She likes you better."

"Nah…it's only cause I'm not her Dad."

"Well I'm not her Mom."

"So…you pretty much are." Nick protested. Anna smiled softly and Nick shrugged and smiled back. "When do you go back to work?" He asked getting off the subject.

Anna shrugged and walked into the kitchen. "When ever I want to."

"You're that independent?"

She scoffed, "No." She pulled out two mugs. "I got a crap-load of cash comin in. Do you want hot tea?" She questioned getting off subject.

"Yeah. Um Anna…I know it's not really my business but…you don't 'waitress' anywhere else do you?" Nick asked timidly.

Anna laughed and shook her head. "No. I helped my boss and his wife re-model their house a few weeks ago. It was a big job so…" She let her sentence trail off as she put the kettle on the stove. "I was gonna buy a car with it but, I figured why bother. There's nothin wrong with walkin. Plus…I don't have to work as often now and I can spend some time with Raggs."

The kettle began to steam and spout. Anna walked over to it and poured their tea. "Sounds great."

"Yeah. But I'll miss work when I don't have Regan to hang out with. It's weird my seven year old sister is probably my best friend." She chuckled and walked towards her couch. She sat down with her leg crossed underneath her and sipped her tea. Nick sat next to her and set his cup on the coffee table.

"So how old are you?"

Anna laughed and began to cough and choke on her tea. Nick reached over and patted her on the back. "I'm sorry. I wasn't using manners. Sorry, my mama taught me better than that."

She laughed and waved her hand. "No, it's okay." She coughed and air began to circulate through her lungs again. "I'm almost 23." Now it was Nick's turn to choke on his tea. She chuckled and patted his back. "Geez. Talk about manners."

"I'm sorry. It's just…its not that you don't look it but…I figured you weren't that young."

"Really? How old do I look?"

"Not much older. I just think it's the difference in our ages that shocked me."

"Why? You can't be much older than me."

"Well…"

"What? How much?"

"Uh…"

"Are you 26?"

"Higher."

"28?"

"Higher."

"30?"

"Higher." He repeated.

"My God. What are you like…fifty!"

"No! You were getting close."

"33?"

"Yep. I'm about to turn 34 in 3 months and 13 days."

"I'll be 23 in _2_ months and 13 days."

Nick did the math and replied, "July 18**th**?"

"Yeah. August 18**th**?"

"Yep." Nick answered. Anna sighed and looked towards the back sliding door. "Wanna go for a walk?" Nick asked.

Anna smiled and nodded. "Just let me get my jacket." She stood up and walked through the kitchen, and dinning room, through the double doors, and made a sharp left to where he guessed as her bedroom. Nick watched her go and tried his hardest not to look at her butt as she walked away. When she disappeared he sighed and reclined against the cream colored leather couch. Nick closed his eyes and listened to his heart beat. In a matter of seconds, Nick fell into a light sleep.

A few moments later Anna walked back out with a dark brown sweater. She smiled at Nick's sleeping form. A second later, Nick opened his eyes and looked at her smiling. He had smelled her scent and immediately awakened. Her grin grew wider and Nick smirked. "You watchin me sleep?"

"Only for two seconds." She chuckled as Nick stood up and followed her out the door. She wrapped her arms around herself to shield her midsection from the wind. They began to walk from the patio towards the gate.

"Do you every get lonely living out here in seclusion?" Nick asked as they walked at a leisurely pace. Anna shook her head.

"No."

"Never?"

"Never. Why, would it bother you?"

"Well…yeah, kinda. I mean, no one is around for a couple miles. You're kinda out in the middle of nowhere."

Anna chuckled. "I like it. It's peaceful."

"I guess."

"Well where do you live?"

"Right off the strip. Actually, on the strip."

Anna shuddered. "How do you sleep?"

"Well I work nights so I sleep during the day, if I sleep at all, and its normally pretty quiet then. I lived kind of out of the way when I first moved here but…I decided a year ago that I wanted a change of scenery."

"I couldn't imagine living anywhere else than this." She gestured to the land around her. They arrived at the gate at the end of her backyard and she opened it. Nick shut and locked it behind him and they continued to walk. "I love this place, especially living on the lake. It's so pretty, all year long too." She sighed.

"I can see that." Anna pointed towards the docks.

"My favorite feature. I love the docks. I used to take Regan out on the lake all the time. She loved it. We'd fish, and swim, and just lay in the boat."

"You can fish?"

"Yep. Regan's been fishing since she was three. She's amazing at it."

They chuckled. "We should go fishing sometime." Nick replied. "You, Regan, and I."

Anna smiled. "Sounds like fun. How about Saturday? Are you busy then?"

"Not for my entire week off."

"Don't you have family to visit?"

Nick scoffed, "Yeah…but if I go to see them then they'll hound me about why I haven't settled down, or have a better job, or have any kids, or come see them more often." He sighed. "I'm supposed to relax. And let me tell ya, that ain't relaxin." Anna chuckled. "I mean don't get me wrong, I love 'em to death and I'm lucky to have em. But sometimes…"

"I know."

"Well you're the first." They climbed the steps to the docks and walked down the boardwalk. The waters beneath them sparkled and reflected the moon light. The water was so clear; you could see the fish beneath them swim around. They walked to the end and sat down. Anna kicked off her flip flops and sat them next to her so she could stick her feet in the ice cold water. A lone water lily floated towards Anna's pearl pink toe nails and she picked up the lily with her toes. A crisp breeze rolled n from off the waters and Anna inhaled deeply.

She sighed. "I love that smell." Nick looked at her long brown hair blowing in the breeze, and a smile spread across her lips. Her smile lit the night sky. A gold lining formed around her pupils and stood out dramatically against her Amazon green eyes. Nick frowned slightly. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing. You just…"

"I just 'what'?"

"You remind me of someone that's all."

"Who?"

Nick stared at her a moment, "No one."

"Aww, come on. Tell me." She begged and grabbed his arm. "Please." Nick chuckled at her.

"Don't worry about it."

Anna sighed. "Fine." She stood up and brushed the sand off her skirt.

"Oh. So I didn't tell you and you're gonna be mad?" Nick teased.

She laughed. "No." She walked back towards the end off the docks.

"Wait up!" He followed her as she jumped off the boardwalk and onto the sand below. "Where are you going?" She stood at the edge of the shore and waited for him to catch up. "Aren't there uh…gators down here?"

"Not that I know of and I've lived here for almost twelve years." She continued down to under the boardwalk and held onto the wooden columns.

"What are we doing down here?" Nick asked, Anna didn't answer; she simply stared out to the waters. Nick followed her gaze and was awe stricken. It was absolutely beautiful. "Oh."

They stood staring at the water for close to five minuets before Anna walked towards the water and bent down to pick up a lily. Nick watched her go. As she turned around he saw that the lily was stuck behind her ear. He smiled and so did she. She brushed her hands on her skirt and walked back to her original spot.

All that could be heard was the soft waves sloshing against the sand and columns. It was the most peaceful environment. Until an ear piercing scream tore through the atmosphere.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Anna looked over at Nick horrified. "Oh God." She breathed.

**

* * *

A/N: So…sorry to leave ya'll hangin…but it's what I do best (he he). Okay. I'll update soon. R&R please!**

Chella


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Just some notes, Nick's mother is kind of pushy and, I hate to do it but…she's kind of a bitch. She's totally different than the other 'mom' figures she's portrayed. She's still caring and she loves Nick like normal, that's the reason she is the way she is. You'll get annoyed with her easily. That's just a warning.

Also, I know that I said I would skip days in between the time Nick and Anna talk; However, I'm going to go day-by-day through the first week. It's only because…well…you'll figure out why during the next chapter.

**

* * *

Chapter 3:**

"**That's the lamest excuse I've heard in a while." **

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**Delmarco Residence**

**Backyard**

**10:34 p.m.**

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"Anna!" Regan screamed in terror. Anna took off running at the speed of light towards the house. Nick took off not even a second after. "Anna help!" Regan screamed again.

"Regan!" Anna yelled back. When Anna was not even two feet away from the gate, she grabbed her skirt and cleared the fence.

"Anna hurry!" Regan squealed. Nick jumped it also and watched as the woman moved faster than light itself through the back yard and back door. He was close behind her as she threw the door of Regan's bedroom open. She was breathing heavily.

"Regan? Honey are you okay!" She knelt down and began to inspect her.

"Josh!"

"What?"

"Josh was at my window!" She shrieked and began to cry. Anna grabbed her and held her close trying to soothe her.

"I'll go check it out." Nick announced and turned to leave.

"Nick no!" Anna shouted in terror. He had no idea how much damage this guy could do if you gave him the upper hand for even a second. Anna grabbed Regan and ran after Nick. He turned quickly.

"No! You stay here with Regan."

"Nick!"

"Stay away from the doors and windows. Don't come after me. Just call the police."

"Nick!" Anna pleaded again and Nick turned and left. "No!" She closed the door and sat with Anna in her desk chair. She rocked and soothed the crying girl.

As Anna sat there her mind began to wander to all the horrible things that could be happening to Nick. She wanted desperately to go after him, but knew that she couldn't take Regan with her, but she couldn't leave her alone.

Anna picked up the phone and dialed 911. "My name is Anna Delmarco; I live at 687 Lake Mead Drive. We've had a prowler and I need someone out here. Yes. Thank you." Anna waited till she heard the click on the other line, hung up. She sighed in worry.

She couldn't hear anything, and that scared her more than hearing yelling. She had no idea what was going on. Anna began to bite her nails and prayed that the cops would show up. She heard shuffling and the front door open and close. Heavy footsteps came towards the door and Anna quickly locked the bedroom door. Someone fumbled with the door knob.

"Anna." A male's voice drawled. "It's Nick."

Anna hesitated and slowly walked to the door. She rested her hand on the doorknob and replied, "Prove it."

Nick sighed, "You have a cut on your right leg from your calve to your knee. You got it jumping off the swing at the park after you gave Regan your mint-chocolate chip ice cream. She spilled hers on the jungle gym even though you warned her not too. I called her Regan the Restless and you said that it suited her very well."

Anna opened the door to see him. "Oh my God." He had a small cut across his forehead and a bruise on his cheek bone. His lip was cut and he had several bruises on his arms and a gash across his right arm, extending from his elbow to his bicep. She gasped and covered her mouth. "Oh God Nick."

He shook his head and waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "I'm fine."

"Nick! No you're not…where is he?"

Nick sighed, "I don't know. I never actually saw him. I was out there looking around trying to find what was makin the noise, and if it was actually Josh, and then the bastard, pardon my language, hits me with a tree limb. I fell down but grabbed the branch and tripped him. He fell and tried to get back up, but I grabbed him and we…wrestled and he got away." Nick sighed.

"Excuse my mouth, but what the Hell were you thinking!" She threw her hands in the air and grabbed his hand to lead him towards the kitchen. "I told you not to go out there! But did you listen to me? _Noooo_!" She pillaged through her drawers of the kitchen in search of a first aid kit. She rooted through the cabinets and tops of the counters. "Goodness! Next time I say don't go, _don't go_!" She nagged and Nick rolled his eyes again.

"You said you were Greek right?" Nick joked dryly trying to lighten her mood. She stopped her rummaging and glared at him. "Listen, I'm sorry I didn't listen to you and I've learned my lesson. Okay?" Nick teased and Anna sighed.

"Fine." She finally located the first aid kit and left the kitchen, in head of the living room. Nick followed Anna and Regan poked her head out of the door to her bedroom. She slowly walked into the living room and sat next to Anna.

Anna twisted on the couch so that she was facing Nick. She dipped a cotton swab in peroxide and began to clean the cut on his forehead. He hissed in pain.

"Sorry." She apologized.

"Are you okay?" Regan asked Nick and he smiled.

"Yeah darlin, I'm fine." Nick drawled.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Don't worry about me." Nick reassured. "I'll be okay."

Regan nodded slowly and then looked over at Anna's stressed face. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. The real question is are _you_ alright?" Anna glanced over at the little girl.

"I'm okay…is Josh coming back?" Regan asked timidly.

"No." Anna replied quickly. "In no way, shape, or form is he coming back."

"But that's what you said yesterday morning when he hit you and then he came back-" Regan pointed out thoughtfully.

"Regan." Anna replied cutting her off.

"He hit you?" Nick asked furring his eyebrows.

"No. I told you Regan, I fell."

"Yeah, running from him." She remarked sarcastically.

"Regan," Anna warned. "Go get yourself a glass of water."

"But I have to go to sleep. I can't sleep on a full stomach."

"Well the police will be here and I don't think you'll be able to sleep. Just…go get some water."

Regan shrugged and walked to the kitchen. Anna and Nick sat in silence to make sure the seven-year-old couldn't hear their conversation. Once they were sure she was preoccupied, Nick began "He hit you?"

"No. I tripped."

"That's the lamest excuse I've heard in a while."

"Well that sucks because it's not an excuse."

Nick sighed. "Fine…you tripped…over what?"

"A chair."

"Where?"

"In the dinning room."

"What were you doing while you tripped?" Nick inquired.

"Cleaning."

"Cleaning?"

"Yes. Now please be quiet so I can fix your face." She ordered and Nick shook his head.

"Anna…it's alright to admit he hit you. It's his fault _not_ yours. In fact, you can file a complaint, put him on record and nail him with even _more _charges than he's already got against him."

"Nick…that's not what I want. _Yes_ I want him away and where he deserves to be, but I _don't_ want Regan to know that I couldn't defend myself or her, for my sake _or_ hers. I don't want her to think that's how relationships go and that's how women should be treated. I don't want her to know what went on while she was asleep and everything that was said. She wouldn't feel protected and she'd be apprehensive and submissive every time a new guy came around. Any other man would terrify her. I don't want her to think like that."

"Anna, she's not stupid. You know that, I know that, she knows that. She also knows you didn't trip. Does she seem submissive? No. Is she acting timorous or reticent? No. Does she seem to not trust you? No. She's strong and she'll be okay. Its okay to want to be strong for her…but do you want her to think that she can't be weak sometimes too?"

Anna sighed. "I-" She was cut off by the sound of sirens and slamming doors. Anna looked at Nick and started to clean up the first aid kit. A knock on the door sounded and Nick stood up to help her clean up the mess. She walked to the door and opened it to reveal Brass.

"Hello Ms. Delmarco. We got a call about a prowler."

"Yeah. Come on in." She moved to the side to let Brass enter. Another police officer came into the room and stood in the living room by the kitchen. "Can I get you anything?"

"No thank you." Brass smiled and waved his hand in dismissal. She turned around to see Nick walk out of the kitchen. Nick frowned and folded his arms across his chest, signaling a cold regard to the captain. "Nick." Brass replied.

"Brass." Nick replied and kept his face firm. Anna glanced back and forth between the two; sensing the tension.

"What exactly happened Ms. Delmarco?"

"Um…well, I put Regan down to bed and Nick and I were out by the docks, and I heard Regan scream. And I ran back to the house and she said she saw Josh, the guy from the hotel." Anna clarified and Brass nodded. "Well then Nick went out to look for who was out there and…I guess they got into a scuffle and Josh, or whoever was out there, got away."

Anna looked over at Nick and he nodded. "Alright. Well, I'll have to have you file a report and since no one actually saw him…"

"There's nothing you can do…I know." Anna sighed and pushed her spiral curls behind her ears. "Thanks."

Brass nodded solemnly. "I can send an officer to stay on the look out but other than that…"

"No, no. We'll be fine. Thank you." Anna sighed and folded her arms across her chest.

Brass turned to walk towards the door and Nick followed. "I'll be right back." He told Anna and she nodded.

Brass and Nick walked down the front door towards the drive way and stopped at his patrol car. Brass turned to face Nick and sighed. "I'm sorry for what I said the other day Nick, in my office. You were right, that was out of line and none of my business. I'm just lookin out for ya kid."

Nick looked down and nodded. "I know. I'm sorry for yelling at you. That was out of line on my part. I was really stressed, but I know that was no excuse for how I acted."

"From what I heard, you've been edgy all week."

"That's kinda why I was told to take a vacation."

Brass nodded and smirked. "You need and deserve it. You push yourself too hard and work too much. You need to get out more and learn to live. Otherwise you'll end up alone, old and, tired…like Grissom." Brass joked and chuckled. "Only God knows when that man's gonna get his act together and learn to 'lift his head out of that microscope' as Cat so lovely put it. He needs to put poor Sara out of her misery."

"Yeah." Nick agreed and looked back down at his feet as he shifted his weight. He heard Regan's chuckle from inside the house and Nick looked back and smiled. Anna laughed along with the little girl to put the thoughts of tonight's events out of her mind. Nick smiled wider.

"She's pretty strong willed huh?"

"Who?" Nick asked.

"Ms. Delmarco."

"Yeah…kinda."

"Watch out for her Nick. If I can't put an officer at her door, then I want you here. By the looks of your face I can see that if that Josh guy can put a real damper on you, he'd have no problem ruffin up those two in there."

"He hit Anna." Nick admitted sheepishly.

Brass ran a hand over his face tiredly, "Damn…is she filing a repot?"

"I don't think so."

"Watch out for her Nick." Brass repeated and Nick nodded.

"Thanks Brass."

"You're welcome Nick. Take it easy."

"You too." Nick waved and watched as Brass climbed into his car and pulled out of the drive way. After he had seen the car off to the distance, he turned and went back into Anna's house.

He opened the screen door and stepped inside, locking the door behind him. "Anna!" He called and she peered around from the kitchen/bar counter.

"Yes?"

"Oh, I uh…I just wanted to make sure ya'll were okay."

She gave a small smile and threw down the sponge she was using to clean the counters. Regan came from out of her bedroom with her blanket and pillow. She tossed them on the couch and sat down. Anna sighed and leaned against the counter and crossed her arms across her chest. "She doesn't want to sleep in her room." Anna informed Nick. He nodded.

"Well…I should leave you two alone and let you get some rest."

"You don't have to leave just yet. I mean, we'll be up for a while so…"

Nick smiled. "Okay."

Anna smiled back and Nick followed her to the couch. Anna situated Regan's pillow on her lap and Regan laid her head on it. Nick covered Regan up with a blanket and sat on the other side of Anna. She smirked and grabbed the television remote and handed it to Nick.

"Can we watch Toy Story 2?" Regan inquired.

"Will you go to sleep when it's over?" Anna replied.

"Yes."

"Then yes, you can watch it."

Regan jumped up and ran to the television. She grabbed the DVD and put it in the DVD player. When it had begun, she ran back to the couch, and curled up on Anna's lap.

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**Friday May 6, 2004**

**Delmarco Residence**

**12:05 a.m.**

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Not too long after the movie had started, Regan fell asleep on Anna's lap. Anna glanced down at the little girl and smiled. "She's out. Man, she's gonna be tired for school tomorrow."

Nick chuckled. Anna scooped up the little girl in her athletic arms, Nick grabbed her pillow and blanket, and the two walked into Regan's room. Nick laid the pillow on the bed and Anna rested her on it. Then Nick tenderly draped the blanket over her. Anna brushed the hair from out of Regan's eyes and kissed her forehead. She smiled and followed Nick out of the room.

"She's adorable."

"Yeah…I know." Anna boasted.

They laughed as Anna folded the throw blanket over the back of the couch. "Well, it's about 12:07…I should get going." He turned towards the door and Anna followed. He opened it and turned to face Anna. She examined his wounds from earlier and felt a wave of guilt wash over her.

"Are you still coming over tomorrow?"

"If ya'll are up for it." Nick drawled.

"Well, I think a little girl in the next room would be heart broken if you didn't show up. She's hooked on you." Anna teased.

Nick shrugged. "It happens." He said in a mock-conceited voice. They laughed again and Anna leaned her head against the door. "I'll see you tomorrow Anna."

"You can come over any time. God knows I'll be up." She smirked and so did Nick. Once again, her eyes wandered to the bandages on his forehead.

"You should take a break yourself." Nick pointed out and Anna scoffed.

"I'll get right on that."

There was a pause. Anna dragged her eyes up to Nick, and green met brown. Their gazes locked. Anna felt her skin tingle, her hair stood on ends, and her skin flushed. She broke the gaze and looked down at her feet. "I'll see you tomorrow." Nick said softly and smirked.

Anna was silent as she closed the door and locked it. She still felt like Jello from the intensity of their stare. She turned around to look at her living room and took a deep breath. "Wow." was all she could manage. "If I get that from just lookin at him…" she shook her head, "he must be one Hell of a kisser." She chuckled at her joke and went into her bedroom for a few hours of sleep.

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**Stokes Residence**

**Friday **

**8:23 a.m.**

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Nick jolted awake from the sound of a woman's scream. He sat upright and threw the blankets off of him. He heard panting and another scream coming from somewhere in his apartment. He walked into the living room and saw that the television was still on. A young blonde was running from Freddie Crougar in terror. He sighed and turned off the television. His phone rang and he looked over at it; deciding finally to let the machine pick it up. Scanning calls was a beautiful thing.

"_Hey you've reached Nick Stokes. Sorry I can't come to the phone right now, but leave a message and I'll get back to ya'll as soon as I can." _

"Nicholas Ryan Stokes pick up this phone now. I know you're there. You better pray to high heavens you ain't scannin my phone call. I'll whoop you a good one." Mrs. Stokes warned in a thick Southern accent. Nick moaned and walked towards his bedroom. If he was going to talk to his mother for the first time in months he was going to do it in more than just his boxers. He threw on jeans and a maroon T shirt that fit him nicely and walked back out to his mother's squalling voice.

"Hello mother." Nick sing-songed mock happily.

"Nicholas Ryan Stokes! Why, it lives!"

"Aw ma, don't middle-name me."

"Well serves you right. You haven't called, or wrote, or dropped by in forever."

"Mom, I've been working. And it's not like I can just take some time off and fly out to Texas to see ya'll. I work twenty four seven and I haven't had time to shop for food nevertheless see ya'll."

"Well I heard that's changed. You have a week off don't you?"

"What, you callin in to the station now to check up on me."

"Yes. It's the only way to know you're still breathin. I talk to them more than I talk to you. You've been so edgy since that Nigel Crane character. The one who stalked you and tried to kill you. Do you remember him?"

Nick winced and rolled his eyes. "No mom, forgot all about him." He drawled, his response dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, anyway, you've been edgy. You should move out of that grungy little apartment and get a better place."

"I already did mom. I live on the strip."

"Well that's wonderful. Now when are you going to come and visit us?"

Nick sighed. What he really wanted to say was 'I'm not' but he couldn't say that to her. After all, she was his mother. "I don't know mom. I'm kinda busy."

"Doing what? When? Where? And to whom? And good God tell me ya'll are using protection."

"Eeeeww! Ma! I ain't tellin you about my sex life! And besides, that wasn't what I was talking about."

"Well I can only assume. You know, with my baby boy as such a playboy and with him never calling me I can only assume…"

"Mom, I haven't become part of some S&M cult or something. You know that stuff grosses me out. Just relax okay."

"Well than why are you so busy?"

"I…I've been helping a friend."

"What friend?"

"A new friend."

"And their name would be…" Jillian Stokes asked and Nick was silent. She sighed. "What's her name Nicholas?" Nick still stayed silent. "Nick, speak soon or so help me-"

"Her name is Anna. Alright? Anna. Now I need to go. Bye."

"Bye."

They hung up and Nick moaned, throwing himself back against the couch. He closed his eyes for a few minuets, then opened them to stare at the clock. It was 8: 36. Regan should be in school by now and Anna said he could come over whenever. He didn't want to risk waking her up, but for the strangest reason, he felt that if he didn't see her soon, he might go nuts. He snatched his car keys and walked to the door. Before his hand hit the knob his stomach rumbled and he caught a whiff of his odor.

"Guess going to Anna's has to wait." He threw his keys down and ran to his room. He tossed her drawers open, pulled out a pair of swim trunks, a green t shirt, his sandals and a pair of loose fitting pants. He grabbed his clothes and set them by the bathroom door. He closed the door behind him, peeled off his current clothes and jumped into the shower.

Ten minuets later he turned off the water, wrapped the towel around his waist, and applied shaving cream to his face. He began to shave around the cuts and bruises he had sustained last night. His phone began to ring and Nick let the machine get it.

"Nick, its Brass. Listen I got some info on this Josh guy. He seems like a real bad egg. I've got Sanders and Rick still workin the Belagio case and they're tryin to get Josh. We've got the other three gun men, I think Josh was leader of the pack, and they ain't rollin over on ol' Josh Boy. Any way, I want you to give me a call. I've got some matters to discuss with you, Anna, and Regan. I'll pretend like I don't know about Josh, and Anna's condition but you should try to convince her to file a report. I need to go. Call me back when you get this or drop by the station. Bye."

Nick sighed and gripped the counter while looking at his feet. His mind wandered with horrible thoughts of what he'd like to do to Josh if he ever got his hands on him. He sighed and dragged his gaze back up to his reflection. Nick finished shaving and wiped the cream off his face.

Once he had dressed, he grabbed an on-the-go cereal bar and left his apartment. He walked out into the morning sun and saw his neighbor taking out her trash. She was an older woman who lived alone. She glanced over and waved to Nick. He smiled and waved back before jumping in his Tahoe and driving off.

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**Delmarco Residence**

**9:48 a.m.**

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Nick pulled into her driveway and looked at her lake side house. It only had one story but it was very spacious. It had 6 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, a huge living room with bay windows and a sliding door leading to the patio. A black marble counter and an island kitchen. The window above her sink looked out on the patio, the dinning area was connected to the sitting room and double doors closed off the area.

Behind the back set of double doors was Anna's suite-size bedroom with a large walk in closet, master bathroom and separate sliding door to the patio. Across the hall from Anna's room was a second guest room. Then in between the two was a third guest room, a bathroom, and closet.

The dining room had a sliding door that also connected to the patio. The patio itself was extremely commodious. It had several sets of lawn furniture and a large empty space probably used for parties. Outside of the screened in area was a lawn with a swing set and large garden off to the side. The gate around it circled all the way up the sides of the house. And out the gate was the reserved pubic lake space.

Nick gazed at it all in shock. He had been here all of yesterday but hadn't really noticed it all. "Nick?" Anna tapped on the window of his Tahoe. He jumped and she smirked. He rolled down his window and she leaned on it. "Did ya fall asleep or somethin?"

He chuckled. "No. I was just amazed at how big your house is. I didn't really look at it yesterday. It's gorgeous."

"Thanks." She backed away from his car door as he opened it to get out. "Regan woke up this morning and you're the first person she asked about." She teased as they turned to walk up to her front door. Nick blushed and chuckled.

"Oh…sorry. Didn't mean for her to talk about me all the time. Bet that gets annoying."

"Naw…I think it's cute. She's really captivated by you. I'm afraid she's fallen victim to the Nick Stokes Texan charm. I assume you are from Texas."

Nick laughed, "Yes, I'm from Texas."

"Which part?"

"Dallas." Nick informed her and she nodded. He glanced over at her. She was wearing a long sleeve light purple cotton shirt, light blue bleach washed jean shorts, and a sea shell ankle bracelet and matching necklace. Her hair was scooped up on top of her head into a high pony tail and the ties of her bathing suit stuck out of the shirt.

"That's cool. I always wanted to visit Texas. It seems like such a great place." She looked over at him and noticed he was staring at her. "What?" She asked.

"Huh?"

"You were starin and you looked like you wanted to say somethin."

"Oh…no." Nick lied and she shook her head.

"Well, I have no idea what you want to do till Regan gets home."

"What do you normally do when she's at school?"

"Sit around and wait for her to get back."

"Awww."

"I know, it's really pathetic."

"Yeah, it is." Nick joked and Anna swatted his arm. "Oww!"

"Oh! I'm sorry. Does it still hurt from last night?"

Nick laughed. "No." She swatted his arm again.

"Well…" She switched subjects. "We could go swimming or try to get some fishing in before Regan gets back. Of course we'll fish when she gets here, but that child has the attention span of a gnat. One minuet she's doing great, and the next she's bored with it and wants to do something else."

Nick laughed. "Sounds like me as a kid."

Anna laughed. "So, what do you want to do?"

"Let's go swimming. I haven't been in a while and I want to try it."

"How long is a while?"

"Couple years."

"Damn! Well let's hope you remember how. Otherwise I'll have to jump in and save your ass."

"Well my ass thanks you."

"I haven't saved you yet." Anna joked and smirked. "I'll race ya to the lake."

"You're on." They dashed off towards the back of the house. They were neck in neck till Nick looked over at how fast she was going. She smiled and ran faster, speeding ahead of him towards the docks. She ran to the sand and Nick came up close behind her. She stopped short and turned around. Nick tried to stop himself but he accidentally crashed into her and they both fell in the sand. Nick landed on top of her, pinning her to the ground. Nick looked at her to see if she was okay. She cracked a smile and they burst out laughing.

They settled down and Nick paused. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "You?"

He nodded back and leaned up to look at the water. "Wow." Anna rocked her head back to look at the ocean upside down.

"It's gorgeous."

Nick looked at her as she laid flat again. She looked over to her left at the docks and saw a seagull flying. She smiled and Nick was captivated. "Yeah…you are." he replied. She looked over at him and blushed. Anna pursed her lips to keep from laughing and looked up at him.

"You ain't to bad yourself Stokes. And you haven't even seen me in a bikini yet."

"But I've seen you in a towel." Nick joked and she chuckled.

"True." Nick stood up and helped her up as well. She smiled and walked towards the docks with Nick close behind her.

"Nothin like a morning swim."

"Well, midday anyway."

Nick scoffed, "I thought I was the technical, analytical, anal one."

"You have no idea how technical, analytical, and anal I can be." Anna reminded him. "Remember, you've only known me for a few days. Three I think."

"God, has it only been three days?"

"Yep."

"Most eventful three days of my life…damn you're a little Drama Queen." Nick joked and Anna shoved him. They made it half way down the dock when she stopped. Nick looked back at her. "What? Oh, I'm sorry for the 'Drama Queen' joke. I know it's not your fault you-"

She peeled off her shirt and jeans to reveal her white string bikini. She stood there for a minuet and a smile broke out across her face. She began to run the dock and jumped off the end. Nick heard her splash and he ran to the end of the dock to see her floating in the water. "Come on!" She motioned for him to jump in the water also.

"No thanks. I'll just slide in."

"Baby!" She mocked.

"I rate your jump a '9'. Luckily you had the element of surprise."

"Come on! You afraid you can't beat my '9'?"

He smiled and peeled off his shirt and pants, kicked off his shoes and began to back up. He ran full force down the dock and jumped at the end.

He landed a yard or so farther than Anna did. "Show off!" She teased and swam towards him. When she got close enough he reached out for her arm and pulled her towards him.

"What's my score?"

"Umm…" She swam around him in a small circle and analyzed his sculpted body.

Nick laughed when he realized what she was doing. "I meant for my jump. I already know my hotness score is a 20, on a scale of '1 to10'." He boasted and she shoved him.

"You get a '7'."

"'7'!"

"Yeah, '7'. I don't like people who show off and brag." She joked.

He laughed. "Who am I showin off for? You? Come on, don't flatter yourself Delmarco. What do you think you're gorgeous or somethin?" Nick teased. She smirked and ducked him under by pushing on his head. Nick grabbed her leg and pulled her under with him. She laughed under water and swam back to the top. Nick surfaced slowly after her and she laughed and swam out away from the docks. Nick followed closely behind and tried several times to grab her foot. He finally did and yanked her back to him. She kicked and laughed and tried to get away. Nick laughed as she tried to turn to face him while he still held her foot.

"Nick let go!" She giggled. "Come on Nick! Let go!" Suddenly, he released her foot. She turned around to find him…but saw nothing but distances of water. She turned to look behind her. He wasn't there either. "Nick?" She frowned and looked around her frantically. "Nick? Nick come on this isn't funny! Nick." She dove under water to try and find him. "Nick!" She yelled and heard a laugh in the distance. She turned towards the docks to see Nick sitting on the docks laughing and waving.

"Hi Anna!" He taunted and she glared.

"You jackass!" She yelled and swam back to the dock. She placed her hands on the dock and pulled herself up. She ignored him and straightened her bikini bottom so that it was covering all of her generous size butt.

"Have a good swim?" Nick asked smugly. She ignored him. "Oh, you're gonna ignore me now?" She still didn't answer. She only sat and stared at the waters below. "Where's your sense of humor?"

"Nick! I thought something happened to you. You told me you hadn't swam in a long time. I thought…I thought something happened to you." She repeated and sighed. Nick sighed to and nodded his head. She stared at the injuries on his face, but snapped out of her trance when he began to talk."

"I'm sorry. I was…I wouldn't normally do that. I'm just tryin to loosen up and not be my regular self."

Anna smirked, "Well," she paused. "That's great just, try to do it without scarin me to death."

"Awww. You'd have been really sad if somethin would have happened to me? Huh?"

"Well yeah." Anna said as if it was so obvious. She saw Nick's blush and smile and she retracted her statement. "I mean, Regan would be without her precious Nick and then where would we be?" She joked. Nick nodded and laughed. She looked over at his face and saw his laugh lines in the corners of his mouth and eyes, and when he turned to face her, she saw the mole on his right cheek. Nick noticed her conceler had washed off and you could see her black eye. Nick flinched slightly but recovered quickly. The thought of her not filing a report came back into his mind. She distracted his thoughts by smiling shyly, and Nick returned it. His gaze locked with hers. She broke away before it got too intense. "You like doin that huh?"

"What?" Nick asked confused.

"That intense stare thingy that you do. You do it a lot."

"What? I'm lost."

"Come on. That stare you do. It's like impossible to look away from."

Nick chuckled. "What ever." He shook his head and looked back out on the lake.

Anna sighed and turned around. She laid back and stretched out underneath the sun's rays. Nick looked back and surveyed her sculpted and toned body. Her abs were well built, yet feminine, her arms were athletic and strong, and her legs were the best he'd seen in a while, including the women on his television. "What you lookin at Tex?" Anna asked. Nick looked up at her and chuckled when he saw her eyes were closed.

Nick lay back next to her. "Nothin."

"Oh, so I'm nothin now?" Anna teased.

Nick chuckled and turned his head to look at her. "What were your parents like?"

"Whoa, nice change of subject."

"What were they like?"

Anna was silent for a moment. She brought her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun and she turned to look at him. She stared a moment then shrugged. "They were…there."

"There? How specific thank you. I feel like I really know you."

"What?" She sat up and Nick copied her position.

"What were they like? Were they strict? Nice? Mean? What?"

"I don't know. I don't like talking about them." She lay back down and Nick watched her.

"Okay. So, you're almost 23, Regan just turned 7, which makes you 16 years apart."

"Well I'm glad to see they teach you to count before you get to be a CSI."

"Ha ha. So…how did ya'll end up 16 years apart? That's quiet a gap."

"I don't know. So…"

"I don't know. I'm just talkin." Nick stated and Anna rolled her eyes.

"You should visit your mother."

"No."

"Ouch! Burn! Geez, I think I just heard your mother scream in pain." She joked.

"I don't want to have to deal with all the baggage."

"Baggage?"

"The family issues mostly. Why haven't I settled down yet? Why aren't there grand babies? Why don't I have a better job? Why don't I live closer? Why don't I call? It's just too much."

"Well, it seems like the problem doesn't lie with your mother. Yeah, it sounds like she can nag, sure you aren't Greek?" She joked and Nick smiled. "But she's still your mother. You should talk to her and don't let everybody else stand in the way."

"So…"

"I don't know. I'm just talkin." She mocked and Nick shook his head.

"Well what about you and your mother?"

"I don't like to talk about it." She repeated.

"So you can dish it but you can't take it. Nu-uh. What's the deal with ya'll."

"Nick," She began and turned to face him. She folded her legs and brought her hands up to gesture. "I don't like to talk about my parents okay? It's a tender subject and I'm not going to change my mind so just leave it alone." She turned back around and faced the water. She sighed and stood up. "Come on. It's about 10:00 or so. Wanna grab somethin to eat?"

"It isn't lunch."

"Yeah, but I heard your stomach grumbling. I'm guessin you only had a breakfast bar for breakfast huh?"

"Yeah." Nick admitted and she chuckled and helped Nick stand up. They walked down the docks, gathering their clothes as they went. Nick sighed.

"What?"

"Nothin."

"You miss work." Anna stated and turned to look at Nick.

"How'd you know?"

"I feel the same way. Is your job hard?"

"Only if you don't know what you're doin. It's kinda fun sometimes. You learn a lot. Like human behavior, basic instincts, lots of science, motivation, people's way of life, things like that. It's rewarding too. You meet a lot of real ass holes, please forgive my language, but you meet some real great people too. And sometimes, those same nice people try to do somethin right when they're caught in a bad situation, and they pay the price. Once, there were these two brothers. They were close; the younger brother would do anything for his older brother. And the older brother had an anger issue. He killed two people and got the younger brother to cover it up for him and take the rap."

"Whoa."

"The older brother stood in front of the younger as he got his stuff and left the prison…rubbed it in his face…the younger brother killed himself."

"Oh my God."

"Yeah…the love of a sibling."

"Wow." was all Anna could manage.

"My first week as a CSI 3," Nick began. "A triple homicide…mother, brother, father…a teenage girl had her boyfriend murder her family. She was arrested and Grissom had her in the interrogation room and he asked her why she had them murdered…she said that was the last night her father was going to touch her little sister. He had been molesting the teenager's younger sister and she had enough. Grissom asked why she had the mother and brother murdered…she said, because they wouldn't protect her. And then her father went after her daughter…the father molested her and got her pregnant."

Anna stopped short and froze. She looked like she was going to be sick. She shook her head and Nick looked over at her. Nick winced. "Sorry." He apologized. "I didn't mean to get gory on you."

She shook her head and began walking again. "It-I…it-it just..." She stuttered and sighed.

"I know. I'm sorry." Nick walked slower and sighed. "I'm sorry."

"You said that."

"Its cause I'm really sorry."

"I know you are. Just…don't say anything like that around Regan."

"I know."

"I don't get how you do it. Day after day, seeing what you see, doing what you do. That's gotta kinda mess ya up huh?"

"Oh yeah. Kind of hard to fall asleep sometimes. Victim's faces and screams haunt you for a good long time if the case is intense enough. Sara has the worst. She gets so attached to victims. She empathizes and she tears herself apart. She doesn't know when to ask for help and works too much. She tries to live up to the standards of one person while trying to do what's right. She never visits home and doesn't worry about herself enough. But she's one of the best friends you'll ever know."

Anna chuckled, "Sound like anyone you know?" She teased and shoved him slightly. Nick shook his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know. I'm just talkin."

"No fair, you can't use that twice."

Anna chuckled. "Mere technicality. I can use it all I want."

Nick shook his head as they climbed down the steps and began to walk in the sand. Nick looked over at her and smiled. "You know, now that I've seen you in your bikini, I'm gonna have to up your rating of beautiful to total knock out."

She laughed and blushed. "I was thinking the same thing about you Tex. But I'm gotta say, I like the term 'beautiful' better. It sounds nicer."

"I was thinking the same thing. But I just thought I should let you know your updated rating."

"Why thank you sir. How thoughtful." She mimicked in her best Southern Belle voice and batted her eye lashes. "That's just ever so attentive of you."

Nick laughed. "Not bad, not bad."

She laughed. "Thank you." They walked in silence for a few moments.

"How many languages do you speak?" Nick asked her.

"Um…5."

"Whoa!"

"Yeah, English, obviously, Roman, Italian, Greek, and Spanish, cause I lived in Mexico."

"Wow. I can only speak Spanish and English."

"You speak Spanish! Let me hear some?" She asked excitedly.

Nick moaned. "No, I'm rusty."

"Aww! Come on! I'll speak it with you. We can have a conversation." She bargained.

"No." He objected. "I can't speak it very well nevertheless hold a conversation."

"Please?"

Nick shook his head. "No."

Anna sighed. "Fine." Nick looked over at her and bent down to grab her legs. He flipped her over his shoulder and began to walk. "Ahhh! Nick! What are you doing? Put me down!" She squealed, struggled, and laughed trying to pry herself from his grip.

"No." He began to jog towards her house.

"Nick!" She screamed and Nick only laughed. "Put me down! You're gonna drop me."

"No I'm not. Trust me."

"No."

"Ouch. Nice burn."

"Thanks. Now put me down!"

"No." He mimicked her and chuckled. As he came up to the gate he opened it and walked into the yard.

"Okay. Were at my house. Now put me down."

"Nope."

She sighed. "Are you ever gonna put me down?"

"Eventually."

She sighed again and propped her head up by resting her head on her fist and her elbow on his back. "Fine." She saw them turn the corner and go past her back door. The continued to walk and passed the rounding to enter through the side door. He opened the gate and walked out. Soon they passed the entrance of the front door. "Where are you taking me?" He didn't answer. Instead, he opened the passenger door and sat her in the seat. She let out her breath and watched him jog to the driver's side and sit down. "Where are you going?" She repeated.

"You'll see." He started the car and began to back up.

She sighed and sat back. Anna closed her eyes and with the gentle hum of the car, she fell asleep.

**

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A/N: Once again, sorry for the long wait on the chapters. I'll try to update sooner. And I'll try to make the next chapter longer.**

Chella


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Okay baby-kins, we have some appearances by Sara, Warrick, Grissom, Catherine, Brass, and Greg. Plus some of that Geeklove talk I promised you. And, I have decided to kind of put Warrick in the main group. As in, mostly you'll hear from Brass, Catherine, Sara, and the occasional Warrick. Occasionally Grissom will appear and you'll soon learn why. He's gonna have a special bond with one of the characters.

Okay, I said in the beginning that some of you had already read the first two chapters and ya'll should have re-read them cause I made some minor changes. If you haven't done it by now…you probably should because throughout the rest of the book I'm goin to be talking about stuff like Regan's age and what grade she's going into, and Nick's age and different things.

So if not knowing every little detail annoys you…go ahead and re-read the first two chapters (we won't hold it against you) :)

Also, I didn't account for a time difference between Texas and Nevada so…excuse that _and_ I couldn't think of a special airport for Texas so I just used Delta Airlines. It was the first airline that popped in my head. So excuse that also.

And just in case ya'll forgot, I don't own Grissom, Sara, Brass, Judy, Greg, Warrick, Jillian Stokes, Bill Stokes, or Nick (tear). But I do own Anna and Regan. (Smile)

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Chapter 4:**

"**Son…all I can say is, get the hell outta dodge."**

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**Friday May 6, 2004**

**11:42 a.m. **

**LVPD Crime Lab**

**Parking Lot**

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Nick stopped the car and looked over at Anna. She was sleeping and looked amazingly beautiful. He leaned over and gently shook her shoulder. "Anna." He whispered hoping to stir her from her slumber. "Anna." He repeated a little more forceful.

She still didn't stir. He brushed a curl from out of her face and let his thumb linger on her cheek. His eyes drifted to her black eye and he frowned. "Anna." He repeated and cupped her cheek. He brought his thumb up once again to rub her cheek. His eyes drifted towards her lips. They looked more luscious and red than ever. Defeating his temptation of a kiss, he brushed her hair back and shook her shoulder gently.

She finally stirred and Nick smiled. "You watchin me sleep?" She mumbled.

Nick chuckled. "Only for two seconds."

She smiled and sat up. "Where are we?"

"Crime Lab." Nick answered and she looked around recognizing it from the last time she was there. "Brass said he wanted to talk to us."

She stretched and looked down at herself. "Uh…Nick, I'm in my bathing suit."

He smirked and held up her clothes. "Snatched 'em as we were walkin." He handed her the shorts and long sleeve purple shirt she had been wearing earlier. She dressed herself and grabbed her flip flops. She glanced in the mirror and saw her eye.

She frowned, "Ugh…my eye. You wouldn't happen to have any oil based concealer by chance would you?" She smiled hopefully.

"Sorry, but no. Why don't you just _not _cover it up and file a report."

She sighed. "Nick…" She began in a warning tone. He held up his hands in surrender.

"Fine. Sorry." She sighed and continued to fiddle with it. "Ya know, pulling on it isn't gonna make it better." Nick joked. She glared.

"_Nick_." She whined.

"Alright, what shade are you?"

"100 ivory on the Mary Kay scale, 105 ivory Cover Girl scale."

"Well, you look about the same shade as my friend Sara. She might have some you could use. Just, if you're not gonna tell her the truth about how you got it, then come up with a better story then 'I tripped'." She moaned. "Wear these." He handed her a pair of sunglasses. "We'll go in there; I'll pull her aside and ask if you can borrow it."

"Thank you." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. She let her lips linger and finally pulled away smiling.

"Wow." Nick said and she chuckled. "I get a kiss for letting you borrow my sunglasses and getting you oil based concealer?"

She chuckled. "_No_…you get a kiss for being great for the past three days I've known you. And for making Regan so captivated by you. You really_ are_ great."

He smiled and winked. "No problem lil' lady." Nick joked and she laughed. They got out of the car and she slid the sunglasses on. Nick waited for her to round to his side of the car to begin to walk beside her. She smiled and he grabbed her hand in his. She looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. "For being so great yourself."

She stopped. "Whoa wait! I give you a load of compliments and a kiss and all I get is my hand held." Anna objected letting go of his hand and Nick smiled. "I mean come on. Step up to the plate Mr. Stokes."

"May I kiss you?" He asked and she smiled.

"Yes." He smiled and gently took her and sweetly pecked her lips. It was short…but by far, that best kiss both had ever had. He pulled away and she smiled, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Nick replied and she continued walking. Nick smiled and jogged to catch up with her. "May I hold your hand?" He teased, she chuckled.

"Yes." He took it and she smiled wider. "Thank you." She whispered.

They climbed the steps and Nick held the door for her. She pursed her lips to keep from smiling. She walked in front of him and Nick smiled, enjoying the view from behind. He grabbed her hand as she began to slow down nervously. "Come on. It's okay." He whispered in her ear. She gave a nervous grin and he waved to Judy. She smiled and waved back. Nick led Anna towards the desk. "Hey Judy. Is Brass here?"

"Um…sorry Nick. I think he just left. Sorry."

Nick sighed. "Thanks anyway. Well, would you let him know that we were here?"

"Of course Nick." She smiled and Nick returned it. He led her down the halls.

"Wait. She said Brass wasn't here."

"I'm getting concealer for you."

"Well I can go home and get that."

"No, I want you to meet Sara."

She sighed. "Fine." They arrived at the break room where everyone was relaxing and laughing. "I'll wait here." Nick looked back at her and rolled his eyes.

"Fine." He observed his teammates relaxing. He opened the door, "Glad to see everybody is sad that I'm gone." He joked as he walked in on them.

"Hey Nick." Everybody said smiling.

"I thought you had the week off." Greg asked confused.

"I do."

"Dude, you get in a beef? What happened to your face?" Warrick asked and everybody looked over to his face.

"Nick, you're supposed to _relax _not getting beaten up." Grissom informed him.

"I know. And I _am_ relaxing."

"Yeah, I'll bet." Catherine replied sarcastically. "That hottie outside the door seems to be _'relaxing'_ you nicely." She smirked and never looked up from her Cosmo magazine. Everybody looked outside the door to see Anna shuffling her feet nervously and smiling politely at the people passing by, most of whom were checking her out.

"That's not exactly the situation, thank you very much. Sara I need to see you."

"Oooohh! Nicky's got a new _girlfriend_." Warrick teased in falsetto voice.

"I think I know her…she seems familiar." Greg replied.

Nick rolled his eyes. "Yeah,** this** is relaxing." He mumbled, "She's not my girlfriend. Sara, please." He gestured towards the door.

"Um…okay." She put down her drink and followed him out. He stood outside the door. He turned to face her.

"I need to borrow your oil based concealer."

Sara chuckled. "Geez Nick, I think you're a shade darker than me."

Nick laughed. "Ha ha." He teased. "It's not for me."

"It's for me." Anna stepped forward. "Hi I'm Anna."

"Oh yeah. I saw you the other day in the break room."

"And you're Sara. Nick's told me a lot about you."

"All good I hope." The girls chuckled. "So, you need my concealer?"

"Yeah." She pulled the sunglasses down and Sara got a good look at her eye.

"Oh…come on." She walked towards the break room and went to her locker. She rooted through her bag and pulled out her concealer. "Ivory 100 Mary Kay oil based concealer?"

"Yeah. That's my shade." Sara handed it to her and Anna walked towards the mirror. She began to apply it to her black eye and rub it in. "Do you have any-" Sara cut her off by handing her the press powder. "Thanks. What about-" Sara handed her the blush. "Thanks again. How did you know?"

"My mom. She was slapped around a lot and taught me the art of hiding it."

"Did your dad…"

"Hit my mom." Sara finished for her. "Occasionally he hit me. My mom taught me how to hide it. Most of the time I didn't have to because he was sneaky about it. My mom taught my brother and me how to hide it for her when she couldn't."

Anna slowly turned around to face her. Nick was watching from the doorway where they couldn't see him. "Didn't she tell anyone? She didn't, file a report or anything?"

Sara shook her head and sat on the bench by the lockers. "She didn't want to look weak in front of us at first she didn't know that we had seen everything and wanted nothing more than for her to say something because it takes more courage to say something than not to. She didn't seem strong…she seemed weak. That was her excuse at first; she didn't want to seem weak. And by the time she didn't care if she seemed weak, it was too late and he threatened her. She was in too deep. So…she took things in her own hands."

"Did she leave him?"

"No…she stabbed him to death…my brother and I saw everything." Sara was silent, Anna was silent, and Nick was stunned. "She didn't tell because she didn't want to seem weak, and it spiraled out of control, quickly too. All she had to do was tell the police and they would have taken care of everything. He wouldn't have been able to beat her anymore, he wouldn't have beaten my brother so bad that he became paralyzed from the neck down, and I wouldn't have suffered scars and nightmares that still haunt me today."

Anna hung her head. "So…she could have prevented all of the pain she caused you both by…just telling?" Anna asked timidly and Sara nodded. Anna sucked in a deep breath and rested her forehead in her hands.

"You have a little girl." Sara stated more than asked.

Anna nodded, "My sister."

"Has he hit her yet?" Anna stared at Sara for a moment then nodded. "What do you plan to do?"

Anna paused. "I kicked him out two nights ago…I didn't tell Regan."

"Regan is your sister?" Sara asked and Anna nodded. "How old?"

"Just turned seven. She's actually really smart. She is finishing ninth grade now and I'm going to have her skip from tenth to eleventh."

"Wow…kind of like a little genius?"

"Yeah."

"So she's really smart? She knows when you're lying?" Anna nodded. "What did she say when she saw the eye?"

"I told her that I tripped and…she saw right through it and knew that Josh hit me."

"Well, from what I've heard about the little girl, she doesn't seem like the kind that can be fooled easily. So ask yourself this, do you think you're fooling her or yourself." Anna didn't answer. "Don't wait. Get this creep away from you and Regan. Do you think just kicking him out is gonna stop him?"

Anna sighed, "I know it won't. He came to the house last night."

Sara nodded slowly and closed her eyes. "And Super Boy Nick ran out to battle the bad guy huh?"

Anna nodded. "How did you-"

"My mom had guy friends that tried to stop my father. It uh…it didn't really make a difference." Sara confessed. "It only made him madder. The only that would have stopped him was my mother going to the police station and filing a report. It would have made all the difference." Sara turned slightly and pulled down the shoulder of her shirt to reveal a scar with four holes. "That was from one of the better nights. He took a fork and stabbed me as I tried to run to the phone."

Anna stayed silent as a tear streamed down her cheek. She closed her eyes, and then opened them again to see Regan as a grown woman sitting in front of her. Her face was bruised and scared, her reflection of sadness was so much like Sara's had been. Then she spoke, "My mother wanted to look strong and unafraid…and this is what it cost me." She gestured to her face.

Anna gasped and blinked back the tears. Regan's figure blurred and was replaced by Sara. "I-I need to file a report." Anna said shakily. Sara nodded and gave a supportive smile. Her eyes slyly left Anna's face to Nick smiling behind her.

"I think Nick would be glad to take you." Sara nodded her head towards Nick and Anna turned around. Nick waved and Anna turned back towards Sara.

"Thank you Sara."

"No problem. Just bring Regan around sometime. I wanna meet the little genius." Sara smiled and stood up. Anna smiled back and did the same.

"Okay." They turned and began to walk towards Nick. He smiled at them. His hand found the small of Anna's back and he ushered her forward. He turned his head and looked at Sara.

"Sara…thank you so much. I uh…I'm sorry you had to let someone you just met know about your past." Nick whispered.

Sara held up her hand. "She needed help Nick; she obviously wasn't listening to you or Brass."

"How did you know Brass knew?"

She shrugged. "CSI Grapevine. As long as I convinced her to keep herself and that little girl safe…I'm fine." Nick nodded and smiled. He turned to leave and Sara put her hand on his arm. "Wait Nick, um…about my story. I just don't want everybody-"

Nick pulled an imaginary zipper to close his lips, then locked an invisibly key, and threw it away. Sara smiled and Nick ushered Anna towards the break room.

He opened the door for her and gave her a gentle shove in. She smiled nervously. "Anna Delmarco!" Greg jumped up and ran to shake her hand. She smiled slightly.

"Oh yeah. Crazy hair dude." Anna replied and Greg smiled proudly.

"The one and only." He replied grinning like a fool.

"At least we _hope_ he's the only one." Warrick remarked sarcastically. Everybody but Greg laughed. Warrick stood up and walked over to shake her hand. She smiled and accepted it. "Hi. I'm Warrick Brown."

"Anna Delmarco." Warrick stood back as Catherine came up behind him.

"Catherine Willows." She extended her hand and tried to size up the girl. Anna gave a nervous smile and let go of Catherine's hand. "And this anti-social entomologist is Gil Grissom, head of CSI Night Shift."

"Entomologist? As in, you work with bugs?" Anna asked and Grissom nodded. "Wow, my sister would love you. She's amazed by bugs. They creep me out but she just _loves_ 'em."

"Really?" Grissom asked excited. "How old is she?"

"Just turned seven." Anna answered and Grissom's face fell.

"But she's really smart." Nick interrupted. "She's being moved into eleventh grade."

"A seven year old in eleventh grade?" Catherine asked. "Whoa. Won't she be nervous? Will it be hard for her to make friends?"

"No, not really. She's pretty social and friendly. I'm not really worried about that anymore." Anna looked at Nick through the corners of her eyes and he did the same.

"Are you sure I mean, kids can be ruthless." Greg stated.

"I know. Lindsey came home from her first day of third grade in tears. They picked on every little thing. They were horrible. It took so much to get me to get her to go back to school. Imagine how horrible it'd be for a seven year old in eleventh grade." Catherine relayed and she saw Anna's worried face and she realized she over shared. "Oh! But I'm sure your little girl will be fine! She sounds lovely. You really should bring her around sometime. You know, with how social she is. I'm sure she'd be great here and in eleventh grade. Lindsey's not that social anyway." She tried to comfort Anna subtly.

"That's not true Cat. Lindsey is the **most** social girl I know. After all she's **your** kid. I mean_, OW_!" Greg rubbed the back of his neck. "Why'd you pinch me!" Greg turned around to ask Warrick. Warrick threw his head back and rolled his eyes. He brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose and he rested his hand on his hip in exasperation.

Anna shuffled her feet and Nick noticed how uncomfortable she was. "Sure, um…we have to go." He gently took her hand and directed her towards the door. "Uh, if ya'll see Brass let him know we're lookin for him."

"Sure thing Nick." Sara and Catherine replied.

"See ya later Little Buddy." Warrick smirked.

"Bye." Greg and Grissom chorused.

He shut the door and left the team in the break room. As soon as Nick was out of sight Warrick, Catherine, and Sara slapped Greg upside the head. "OW!"

"You idiot, you made the poor girl uncomfortable." Warrick scolded.

"I didn't mean to."

"It's called thinking before you speak Greg." Sara said and rolled her eyes.

"Next time she comes around you don't get to say anything." Catherine pointed her finger at him.

"Whoa next time?" Grissom asked.

"You think there's gonna be a '_next time'_?" Warrick asked her. Catherine scoffed.

"**Duh!**"

"Really?" Greg asked shaking his head. "I don't know."

"Of course." Sara said. "Did you see the way he held her arm, very gentle man like, before he came into the room?"

"Yeah." Catherine nodded. "Did you see how he grabbed her hand and ushered her out. And as soon as he led her in or out of a room his hand went to the small of her back?"

"Sure sign he's into her." Sara noted.

"I know! You think this is 'it'?" Catherine asked excited.

"Good Lord woman! You think the_ biggest_ playboy of the police department can be **tied down**? No."

"I think if he finds the right girl…maybe." Catherine smiled hopefully. The men looked at each other confused.

"As one of the more knowledgeable individuals of Nick's sex-life," Warrick began.

"Eww." Sara stated. Warrick rolled his eyes.

"I'd say…he** can** be tied down." Warrick concluded.

"Well maybe…but she'd have to be special." Sara reasoned.

"Well now that we know he has the ability to become one half of a ball and chain, the question is, could Anna be his lobster, and how long till these lovely lobsters tie the 'claw'?" Greg asked.

"Wait, wait…lobster? Um…" Sara asked.

"Lobsters, they mate for life." Grissom informed the naïve girl. "When one lobster finds its mate, they stay faithful throughout its _entire_ life."

"I thought you were the _bug _expert." Sara smirked and Grissom shrugged.

Catherine watched the exchange with a smile and continued from where Grissom had left off. "Well, on the show Friends, this character Phoebe, whose kind of a ditzy blonde, tells Ross, this up tight archeologist, that he and the girl he likes, Rachel, she's the fashion diva girl who sleeps around, that Ross and Rachel will be together forever because they're each other's lobsters. And when lobsters mate, they mate for life and sometimes you could see them walking around in the tanks holding claws."

"But wait, Nick likes his share of women. He likes a _couple_ men's share of women. He's never really seemed like the kind of guy to be tied down," Warrick began.

"We established that." Grissom pointed out.

"Right, but _even_ if he **does** settle down, will it be forever?" Warrick finished.

"Yes. He's from Texas, and I don't think Mama Stokes would want her little playboy to get divorced and resort back to his playboy ways. Plus, she wouldn't want all her hard work to go down the drain of him finally finding 'the one'." Sara informed them.

"So…knowing that when he finally ties the knot it has to be for the rest of his life, on the account that Texans don't divorce, back to the initial question…_will_ he tie the knot?" Grissom asked and sat down.

"Yes." They all agreed.

"Is Anna gonna be** the** **one**?" Grissom inquired and they all pondered.

"Yes." They all finally agreed.

"I say we make it interesting. $50 says they're engaged within the year." Catherine smiled.

"I'll get in on that." Sara replied.

"No way, $50 says he waits two years." Warrick gambled.

"**What**!" Both girls yelled at the same time.

"Yeah, he'll need time to get his bachelor ways out of his system."

"No, I give it six months. No higher, no lower." Greg added.

"Six months on the dot?" Grissom asked astounded.

"Well yeah."

"He's only known her, what, three or four days?" Catherine asked and they nodded. "That's too low."

"Expand the bet Greggo." Warrick advised.

Greg sighed, "Fine. No lower than six months until they're engaged and married."

"You're too daring." Sara shook her head and Greg shrugged.

"Okay. I say $50 on within the year, married and engaged."

"So, you're with us?" Catherine asked and Grissom nodded. They all were silent for a moment. "She seemed timid."

"Who?" Greg asked confused and Catherine rolled her eyes.

"Mother Teresa." Catherine replied sarcastically. "Anna, you dummbie!"

"Oh. Yeah, I guess."

"Maybe she's shy." Warrick suggested. Catherine shrugged.

At that moment Ecklie walked in and frowned. "What's going on?"

Grissom smiled mock-happily. "Hello Conrad, how are you doing?"

Ecklie rolled his eyes. "Get back to work Gil." He ordered and walked out.

"That's my cue." Grissom replied sarcastically.

They all sighed and crushed their Styrofoam cups, throwing them in the garbage as they walked out.

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**Delmarco Residence**

**The Docks**

**12:25 p.m.**

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Nick and Anna sat on the docks and ate their Mexican food. "I love Mexican food." Nick stated.

"I love Chinese food." Anna replied and Nick looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I like Mexican food but I **love** Chinese food." She smiled and giggled. "What?"

"You lived in Mexico for almost six years. Not China."

"So…you live in America but you love Mexican food."

"Yes, but Darlin, I lived in Texas, that's right on the border of Mexico, so I basically had a lot of Mexican food." Nick reasoned.

"Oh that's crap!"

Nick laughed. "Oooh! Ouch! So you're callin my life crap now?" He teased.

"No, I'm calling your crappy excuse crap." Anna laughed and bit of the other end of her taco.

"Geez…you're mean today." Nick replied and she laughed.

"Yeah, I know, I'm a horrible bitch."

"Awww, no you're not." Nick teased. Anna laughed and his phone began to ring. He sighed as he looked at the caller ID. "Crap." He mumbled and she watched him flip open the phone and answer it. "Hi Mom."

"Nicholas Ryan Stokes,"

Nick sighed. "Do you always have to use the middle name?"

"Yes. Now, I demand you come and see me."

"Mom, I'm busy."

"Well not right now. But sometime this week. Remember Mrs. Jones? Well, he daughter Emily is just dying to meet you."

"No thanks Mom."

"Nick, please? She's a really nice girl. Hell Nicholas, if you don't want her then I've got a list a mile long of girls just waitin to-"

"Mom no. I don't want to meet Emily or any of the other girls. I'm fine." Nick replied. He looked over to see the spot at which Anna had been sitting was now empty. He looked around and saw her behind him. She ran towards the end of the dock and jumped of.

"CANNONBALL!" She screamed and made a huge splash. Nick smiled and shook his head. She finally surfaced and smiled at him. She had landed at least two yards from the docks and was now swimming back towards Nick.

"Good Lord Nick! What was that!"

"Nothing. Listen I gotta go. I'll call you later."

She sighed. "You better."

They hung up with each other and Anna smiled at Nick and motioned him in the water. "I give that one a '10'!" He shouted to her.

"Wow! Really! It was the element of surprise again huh?"

"Yeah, and you got me off the phone with my mother!" He joked and jumped in after her.

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**The Stokes' Ranch **

**Dallas, Texas**

**12:32 p.m.**

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Jillian Stokes hung up with her son and sighed. She slid into the wooden chair by the phone and crossed Emily Jones' name off her list. Nothing she had tried so far had been able to convince her youngest son to come and visit her. She sighed once again.

Bill Stokes walked from out of the den and into the front hall to see his middle aged wife's distressed face. Her wrinkles were more prominent than usual and the gray streaks in her hair seemed to stand out in the bad lighting of the hall. He adjusted his tie and walked over to his wife. "Nick said 'no' again huh?"

She nodded and looked up at her husband. His salt and pepper hair glowed from the angle of the ceiling lights. "He's avoiding me…I think I bother him." She stood up and flattened his tie against his white dress shirt and smoothed the lapels of his black three-piece suit.

"No." He shook his head. "No. He's just…stressed."

Jillian sighed. "He has the week off. What does he have to be stressed about?"

"Well, you said that he had a new lady friend right?"

"Yes."

"Well, you know how he can get with women. She could be stressing him out."

"Then he should _leave_ her."

Bill chuckled. "Darlin, you know it doesn't work that way. When any man falls in lo-" Jillian cut him off by holding up her pointer finger.

"Don't you dare say that 'L' word when referring to my baby boy's relationships. Don't you **dare** say it." She warned and Bill shook his head while chuckling.

"When any man becomes infatuated with a woman, he doesn't really care if she stresses him. All he's focused on is…making her happy. Every woman stresses the man she's with. Even you. It's a known fact. With infatuation comes great stress. You can't avoid it. The good comes with the bad. The power comes with great responsibility. It's inevitable. He obviously really cares about this girl…what's her name?"

Jillian huffed. "Who cares?"

"Jill…"

"Anna." She sighed and her husband smiled. /-/Anna and Nick. /-/ He thought/-/ I like the sound of that. Anna Stokes./-/ "Quit thinking you like the sound of their names together." Jillian warned. He looked at her in amazement. "Oh please, who wouldn't know? It's written all over your face."

He laughed. "Well Hell Jill, I figured you of all people would have been thrilled he's '_infatuated'_ with a woman. You've been on him since he turned 25 to settle down and get married."

She sighed in frustration and walked from the hall into the den. "Yes, but not with some little…" She growled in anger.

"You don't know her. So how do you know if she's right for him or not?" Bill pointed out. "She could be completely wrong for him. You never know. She could leave him and then he'll be right back here with you."

A light bulb went off in Jillian's mind and her face lit up. Her husband saw the look. "Bill…"

"No." He warned realizing what he'd done. "Jillian, NO."

"She could be wrong for him." She reasoned. "That's why it's my job as a mother to make sure she doesn't hurt my little boy."

"Jillian…"

"Oh, hush up Bill. I'm going to Vegas to protect my baby. I'm gonna prove that little floozy is just in it for his money and sex. She doesn't care and I'll attest it. Once he sees how out of place she is in his life he'll drop her on the spot."

"Jill you're so harsh."

"Hush Bill." She didn't meet his gaze as she flipped through her address book and located the number she was looking for. "Hello, Delta Airlines? Yes, I need three, first class, round trip tickets, to Las Vegas. Yes. Jillian Stokes. Thank you." She hung up.

"Three?"

"Yes. You, me, and Darren."

"No. Leave Nick's relationship _alone_. Don't drag Darren into this."

"Quiet Bill." She ordered as she began to flip through her address book again, Bill Stokes shook his head.

"This will end badly." Bill mumbled and ran a tired hand over his face.

She looked over at him and stood up. "I have to help him honey." She pleaded and kissed his cheek. "Now, go to work and ask for the week off. We need to leave tonight."

"Tonight!"

"Yes, we need to be there A.S.A.P." Jillian said and Bill shook his head.

"You're a manipulative woman."

"That **you** married."

He sighed. "You weren't _always _manipulative."

"Yes I was…how do you think I got you to marry me?" She joked and Bill laughed.

"Well that explains a lot…but it was worth it…however you got me to marry you." He leaned over and they kissed. "I _still _love you."

"I'll always love you."

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**Delmarco Residence**

**5:02 p.m.**

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Anna opened her eyes to see the back frame of her couch. She blinked several times to focus her eyes. /-/ what am I doing on the couch/-/ She thought and rolled over to look around the room. No one else inhabited the room, but she heard voices coming from the dining room. She pushed the blanket that was covering her off f her body and stood up.

Anna adjusted her purple shirt and shorts and dug in her pocket to pull out her hair tie. She pulled her hair out of her face and piled it high on top of her head and pulled it into a ponytail. She sighed and looked around the room.

The light was shining through the bay window in front of her and she looked slightly to the left to see the television was on. She picked up the remote and turned it off. The voices grew louder. She slowly walked through the kitchen and circled the island to the stove. A pot of spaghetti was boiling and the sauce next to it was almost done.

She could smell garlic bread in the oven and she smiled. That was her favorite meal. She crossed the kitchen and opened the French doors to the sitting room/dinning room. She looked to her left to see Nick and Regan sitting at the table coloring in Regan's coloring books. Anna hid behind the door slightly and rested her hand on the half wall that separated the small walkway from the dinning room.

She smiled as she listened to their conversation. "Are you Anna's boyfriend?" Regan asked and Anna's hand rushed to her mouth to keep from laughing. She wondered how Nick was going to handle this one.

"Um…no. No, I'm not Anna's boyfriend."

"But you're going to ask her to be your girlfriend."

"I-I don't know. I uh…I think she's a very great person. She's funny and sweet and…great."

Regan smiled. "And you think she's pretty."

"Yes. Yes I do. I think she's extremely gorgeous." Nick replied and Anna blushed a deep red.

"She thinks you're handsome too."

Nick chuckled. "Really…did she tell you that?"

"No. I can just tell. It doesn't take a genius to know that you two like each other."

Nick stayed silent and Anna peeked around the door to catch his expression. He was staring at Regan dumbfounded. "Is it that obvious?"

Regan scoffed. "Yeah. I guarantee you she knows you like her. You should do something about it."

Nick sighed. "Like what?"

"Ask her to be your girlfriend for starters."

Nick chuckled. "You always this intuitive?"

"Yes." Regan answered not bothering to be modest. Nick laughed and ruffled her hair.

"You're great you know that?"

"Yes. And so are you. That's why you should be with Anna." She reached up to ruffle his hair in mockery and he laughed.

"What do you think of my picture?" He held it up to show her.

"I think it's very good. But…why is the sky purple?"

"It's not purple. It's dark blue."

"No, it's purple. Technically, it's only purple in winter solstice. When the moon is only quarter full the sky isn't dark blue, it's actually violet. But we, as humans, can't see the reflections of the color violet. So we categorize it as dark blue, or midnight blue. It only appears violet on those specific occasions because of the Earth's rotation, tilt, wind, and temperature." Regan informed him.

He turned it to look at it for himself and raised his eyebrow. He looked at Regan astounded. "You and Grissom would get along great. He knows lots of useless information too."

"It's not useless. It certainly taught you a lesson."

"How do you know that? Maybe my picture did take place at night on winter solstice on a quarter moon." Nick replied and Regan shook her head.

"Alas, the pride of the precious male ego." Regan joked and Nick scoffed.

Anna chuckled and came from behind the door. Nick looked up and smiled. "Hey. Did you sleep well?" His shirt hugged his muscles nicely and Anna tried not to stare. She stretched her arms back and gave a smile.

"Um yeah…I just don't remember when I fell asleep." She looked at his face and saw that he had covered up his scratches and bruises. "You been dippin into my make up Stokes?"

Nick chuckled. "No…Regan colored on me with paint. And to answer your question, you fell asleep while lying by the docks."

She laughed and covered her mouth. "You let a seven year old paint on you?"

Regan looked up from her picture, "He said he didn't want to look like Mike Tyson took a swing at him and covering up with make up would be too 'girly-man'."

Anna grabbed her stomach and laughed. "Oh God. That's one of the funniest things I've ever heard." She continued to laugh and walked over to inspect Regan's work. She put her hands under Nick's jaw and gently lifted it towards her. She looked over where his cuts and bruises use to be. She nodded in approval. "Good job Raggs. You should be a mortician."

"No thanks. DB's are Nick's gig. I'm not cleaning up after Nick's 419." Regan replied and Anna looked over at her in shock, then back at Nick.

He held up his hands in surrender, "Hey, I didn't teach her that." He responded and Anna looked at Regan.

"I found it in one of my library books. And I don't think I want to be playing 'dress-up' with deceased carcasses." Regan retorted and Anna pouted.

"No fair. You're not supposed to know what I'm talking about. That's the whole fun of having a little sister. I get to say 'you'll know what I mean when you're older.'" Anna said in a mock sweet voice.

"I thought having a little sister was to teach them what the mother and father couldn't and to prepare them and not baby them like the parents would. Not taunt and tease them." Regan asked. Anna raised her eyebrow. "Don't worry you'll know what I mean when you're older." Regan teased and Anna smiled and kissed the little girl's forehead.

"Okay, okay, just no talk about DB's at dinner. And don't tell me anything gruesome, that is, unless you wanna rock me back to sleep after I have a night mare." Anna joked and Nick smirked.

"Deal."

Anna smiled and rolled her eyes. "I was talking to Regan." She laughed, "Who started dinner?"

"Me." Regan raised her hand and Nick chuckled.

"I helped, don't worry. I didn't let her use the oven or stove." Nick reassured and Anna laughed. She walked over to Regan and kissed the top of her head.

"It smells delicious. Thank you Raggs."

Anna walked through the dinning room and into the three-way hall. She turned left and walked into her extremely large master bedroom and went to her dresser. She could hear Nick and Regan talking as she picked up her concealer and began to apply it over black eye. Once it was expertly hidden, she turned around and walked out of her room and back into the dinning room.

She walked over to Regan and smoothed out the little girl's hair and looked over her shoulder to see what she was coloring. "Nice picture Hon."

"Thank you." Nick flirted and Anna smirked.

Regan smiled and held it up. "I made it for you." She handed it to Anna and she got a good look at it. She smiled.

"Thank you."

"I made this for you too." She handed Anna another picture and Anna blushed. It was a picture of Barbie with brown hair, in a wedding dress. And Ken stood next to her in a tux. A little arrow pointed to the Barbie's, both saying 'Guess who'. Nick looked over at it and blushed also.

"Yeah it's uh," He coughed, "it's great." he coughed again. Regan smiled at the adult's awkwardness. Nick's phone rang and he quickly answered it. "Stokes." He rubbed a tired hand over his face. "Hi mom."

"Hello Nicholas. Go to the front door."

"Mom, I'm not at my apartment." Nick sighed and looked over at Anna and she shrugged her shoulders and gave a sympathetic smile.

"I know honey. Just go to the door for a surprise." She drawled.

Nick raised an eyebrow and looked over at Anna. She mouthed the words, 'What's wrong' and Nick shrugged. He motioned for her to follow him. Anna picked Regan up and balanced her on her hip and followed Nick through the house. "What kind of surprise Mom?"

"A good kind. Don't worry."

Nick stopped at the door and Anna nodded. He opened it and dropped his jaw. "Oh my God."

"Surprise!" His mother smiled and opened her arms for a hug.

"Mom?" She rushed forward to give Nick a big hug. Anna and Regan looked at each other in shock. Anna was suddenly very glad she had covered up her black eye.

"Hi Honey!" Jillian announced and Nick slowly embraced his mother, wondering if this was a bad dream.

Regan leaned towards Anna's ear and asked, "How does that lady, that I'm guessing is Nick's mother, know where we live? What'd she look us up from the police department…or does she have Nick on a tracker?"

Anna shook her head trying to control Regan's comments and gestured for her to be quiet. Anna leaned over, "Beats me Toots." Nick's father came into view.

"Dad?" Nick asked and they hugged. "What's going on?" He whispered in his father's ear and Bill only shook his head and chuckled.

"Son…all I can say is, get the hell outta dodge." His father joked. Nick shook his head.

"Mom, what's going on?"

"What I can't stop in to say hi?"

"Well sure you can, but at my house? How did you find this place anyway?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. What I want to know is where the lovely lady of this house is." Jillian replied.

Anna looked at Regan and whispered "Tuck-and-Roll". That meant danger was near, or, what we would say, 'Get-the-hell-outta-dodge'. Whenever you were caught in a dangerous situation from anything to a fire, gunpoint, or a mean old lady swingin her purse, you could 'tuck and roll' to escape.

Regan chuckled and Anna took Regan off her hip. She stood back up to look at Nick's mother. "Hello. I'm Anna Delmarco." She extended her hand and Jillian smiled.

"Oh, why so formal?" She pulled the woman into a hug and Anna stood frozen.

"Um…" She was completely dumfounded.

"And who is this precious angel?" Jillian bent over to match Regan's height. "Hello little one."

"Hello. Are you Nick's mother?"

"Why yes I am. And what's your name?"

"Regan Delmarco. What's you're name?"

"Jillian Stokes. Why aren't you the cutest little thing?" Jillian replied and pinched her cheeks. She chuckled and stood back up to face her husband and look at Nick's flabbergasted face. Regan glared at the lady and rubbed her cheeks, she looked up at Anna in blame and Anna only gave a sorrowful look and blew her a kiss. Anna stepped forward.

Bill Stokes stepped forward and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you Anna. And I'm sorry for the intrusion."

"Oh, nice to meet you too. And no bother. It's fine."

"My wife can be…impulsive sometimes." he apologized and Anna shook her head.

"It's alright. Well you must have had an exhausting flight, why don't you stay for dinner?"

"Oh no. We couldn't impose." Jillian remarked and Nick looked at Anna. She nodded and Nick rolled his eyes, but put on a face.

"No, it's okay Mom. We want you here." Nick assured and looked over at Anna. She smirked and ducked her head to keep from laughing.

"Uh, Regan, why don't you take Mr. and Mrs. Stokes into the sitting room?"

"Okay." The child agreed. Anna smiled and kneeled down next to her.

"And keep the comment's, 'burns', facts, and talk of DB's and insects to yourself please?" Anna whispered and Regan rolled her eyes.

"Okay." She moaned. "But it's gonna be an awfully quiet conversation."

"Thank you."

Regan grabbed Jillian and Bill's hands and led them to the sitting room. Nick took Anna's arm and pulled her aside. "I am so sorry." He apologized. "I had no idea how they found your house or what they're doing in Vegas." He drawled.

"It's okay Nick."

"I've never been so glad to have let a little seven-year-old paint on my face." Nick joked and Anna laughed.

"I'm glad I was self conscience enough to put on some make up. But I wish I could have showered." She shivered and gave a disgusted face. "Ick! Beach scum." Nick laughed and smiled.

"I wanted to talk to you but uh, I don't think we can do that."

She looked towards the doors where the three had disappeared through and smiled. "No, I think not."

"I promise I'll get them out of here A.S.A.P."

"Nick, it's no rush. I don't mind having them here."

Nick scoffed, "You don't know my parents."

"I'm about to." She replied and Nick smiled at her.

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into." Nick stated and Anna smiled wider.

"Oh well."

They started walking towards the French doors. "Prepare to be grilled by Mama Stokes." Nick joked and Anna laughed. They opened the doors to see Regan sitting on the one-seat green and blue couch, and Jillian and Bill sitting on the love seat to match. Regan stared at them with skeptical eyes, and the two stared at the little girl uncomfortably.

The three looked up at Nick and Anna. "So…how about dinner?" Anna asked.

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**Friday May 6, 2004**

**Delmarco Residence**

**Dinning Room**

**6:18 p.m.**

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Regan looked up from her pasta meal at the four faces around her. Anna sat next to her and was constantly pinching her knee to prevent the little girl from saying something to upset The Stokes or embarrass Nick or Anna.

Jillian and Bill Stokes sat across from the girls and supplying them with smiles. The girls would smile back, while each wondered what the smiles meant. Anna knew what was in store for her. She could see it in Jillian's eyes. She didn't like her baby boy's new 'friend'. She could tell she wasn't buying the whole 'friend' business, Jillian knew that something deeper lay in their relationship and planned to 'nip it in the bud'.

Bill occasionally would smile to Regan and Regan would give a grin back. She seemed to take better to Bill rather than Jillian. It was as if she could suspect what the woman was up to. Bill would give Anna a warm, comforting, sympathetic smile and reminded her of Nick. She could see the Texas charm, and knew it ran in the family.

Nick sat at the head of the table and looked over at the faces surrounding him. Regan met his eyes and he knew the young and innate girl was doing the same thing he was. He smiled and wiped his mouth. "Mom," he began. "Not that I'm not _thrilled_ to have you here, but uh…_why_ are you here?"

"Oh Nicky, I just came to say hi and see how you were doing."

"You couldn't do that over the phone?" Nick wondered and chuckled nervously. Jillian shook her head.

"No. Is it so wrong to want to see your son?"

"It is when you stalk their friends just to find them."

"Son, respect your mother." Bill Stokes ordered and Nick shook his head.

"I just don't understand why she had to come down here and stalk me and my friends just to say hi? Now what do you really want mother?" Nick folded his hands and looked at his mother dubiously.

Regan looked at Anna in worry and she patted Regan's hand. Anna looked over and placed her hand over Nick's. "Nick, please. Can we do this after dinner?" Anna asked and Nick sighed. He nodded his head and Anna smiled. Jillian glared at Anna and how quickly she was able to calm him by just the touch of his hand.

"So, Mr. Stokes," Anna began, "What do you do for a living?"

He set down his fork and wiped his mouth, "I'm a Texas Supreme Court Judge."

Anna nodded and smiled. "And what do you do Mrs. Stokes?"

Jillian narrowed her eyes at the girl. She knew what she was trying to do. She wanted to suck up and seem like the perfect girl…and it sickened Jillian. But she put on a face and smiled sweetly. "I'm a Public Defender."

Anna smiled again. "So, your family is all government justice careers?"

The two men looked at each other. "Yeah, I guess so. All seven kids and both parents." Nick replied.

Bill and Nick chuckled while Jillian narrowed her eyes and glared at Anna while no one was looking. When they turned to face her she smiled and laughed along with them. "Well," She replied and set down her napkin. "That was delicious, thank you Ms. Delmarco and Little Ms. Delmarco." She joked good naturedly. "But I think Bill and I are going to head to the hotel." Anna looked over at Nick and smiled. "Well…off we go. To the cold, dirty, grotesque, far-away hotel. Where it takes an hour to drive there and an hour just to see my beloved baby boy. If only Nick's apartment was bigger. Then we could stay with him." Jillian not-so-subtly-hinted.

Anna looked over at Nick guiltily. She leaned over to whisper in his ear, "Would it be weird if I invited them to stay with me?"

"Yes." Nick answered back.

"_Nick_…they're your parents. How can you let them stay in a hotel?"

"Easy. I just do."

"Nick you're horrible. She obviously doesn't want to stay in a hotel. She wants to be near you." Anna replied as they all stood up and walked towards the front door.

"Anna, don't. You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"Nick I have to." She looked to see his parents nearing the door.

Nick sighed, "Fine. But I'm staying too to monitor them." Anna raised her eyebrow at his statement. Nick blushed, "I-I mean…if you'll allow, I'd like to stay in you're backyard to make sure my parents are acting okay."

Anna chuckled, "Fine. You can stay in the second guest room."

Nick smiled. "Mom, Dad, why don't ya'll stay here?"

They turned around and looked at him. "Are you sure? I mean, we wouldn't want to impose." Jillian replied and Anna shook her head.

"You wouldn't impose. Regan and I would be glad to have you." Anna stated.

"I don't think we could, you, Nick, and Regan should have your privacy in your own home."

Anna and Nick stopped short, "We don't live together mom."

"I'm not his girlfriend." Anna explained and Nick looked over to her for a moment, then back at his mother. "Please stay. God knows what is growing on the shower floors of those motels."

"Well I'm convinced." Jillian replied quickly. She smiled. "We'd be glad to stay." She grabbed her husband's arm and pulled him to her. He shook his head in pity and she nudged him.

Anna smiled. "Good." She gestured for them to follow her. "This is the guest room." She walked through the kitchen and made a left before the living room divided. She opened the door to show a large room in the colors of hunter green and dark violet.

There was a large king sized bed with dark wood bed posts and two dressers to match. The closet was a sliding door that opened on both ends. It was quiet luxurious and Anna smiled at the expressions on their faces. She walked towards a separate door and opened it. It was a large bathroom with a tub big enough for two. It was complete with marble sinks, large mirrors, movie star lighting, and two guest robes.

"This is the best room." Anna commented. She walked to the covered bay windows and opened the drapes showing the window that looked over the empty land in front of her house. "You get a great view of the sun rise, it's not directly looking at it but the gleams and rays can beam into your room and it's beautiful. This actually use to be my room." Anna informed them as they stood there flabbergasted. She smiled and Nick walked in the door behind them.

"Anna I was…whoa." He got a good view of the room. He looked down at the carpets and saw how soft they were. The room was absolutely gorgeous. "Damn, pardon my language. But…wow."

Anna chuckled. "Thanks." She walked towards Nick and she took one of the bags he was holding from his parent's car. She set them by the bed and picked up the television remote from off the nightstand. "This remote controls the lighting, television, air conditioning for your room, and closet lights." She set it down and picked up the second remote. "And this remote," she picked it up and pointed it at the bed. "Controls the bed. You can adjust how soft, firm, warm, cold, and the elevations of each side. It rocks."

She set the remote down and turned to face the three shocked expressions, and she chuckled. Nick shook his head. "No way is my room gonna be nearly as nice as this."

"_Your_ room?" Jillian asked, turning to face her son.

"Yeah, I'm staying here too." Nick explained and Jillian dropped her jaw and stumbled over her words.

"Wh-wh- what? H-how? I th-thought you- weren't…living, together."

"We aren't. But ya'll said you wanted to be close to me while ya'll were here so…"

"But…"

"Don't worry Mrs. Stokes, it's no problem. I have two more guest rooms besides this one and the one Nick is going to be using." Anna smiled at Nick's parents and turned to Nick. He smiled back and placed the bag by the bed. He walked back to the door frame and waited for Anna. "Well, I'll let the two of you get settled in. My room is just down the hall, through the kitchen, dinning room, and parlor, it's the first door on the left of the three-way hall way." She informed them and closed the door behind her. She looked up at Nick and he followed her through the house towards the hallway.

She took the path that she would to go towards her bedroom, but turned right towards the third guest room. She opened the door to reveal a miraculous room. It was done in dark brown, cream, and caramel colors with soft gold accents. The bed was king size water bed and had piles of throw pillows, and soft sheets and comforters. The wooden dressers were dark oak and had gold handles. The carpet was a soft shade of cream and had dark brown trimming on the walls. The walls themselves were caramel, with dark brown trimmings, and a gold ceiling.

The closet was a regular wooden door, but just as big. The bathroom was smaller than his parent's but he still had bay windows overlooking plains and part of the lake. He surveyed the room and turned around to smile at her. "I think I could live here." Nick replied and she chuckled. "Seriously, I'm moving in here." Nick joked and walked towards her. She smiled and ducked her head.

"Why thank you…but I don't think Mama Stokes would be too happy with that." She smiled. "Oh, come on. I have something I wanna show you." She took him by the hand and Nick smiled slightly, but shook his head while trying to shake the butterflies out of his stomach. She led him through her room and out the sliding door.

They walked around the patio towards the lake. She still had a hold of his hand and she pulled him towards the docks. "Where are you taking me?"

She giggled, "Just come on."

"Anna-I-don't-know-your-full-name-Delmarco, where are we going?"

She chuckled, "And you're never gonna know it." She led him under the docks and continued to walk. He could see a small cavern built in the small sand hill under the dock. She smiled and led him under there. "This is it."

"Wow. It's so cute."

She swatted his arm. "It's not cute. Cute is what you say about a puppy, or Regan's new dress, or…"

"Or if a girl asks how her ass looks in a dress and you tell her cute." Nick finished and Anna stopped and turned around.

"I'll remember that." She joked and crouched down to fit in the small cave. "I thought this is where Regan took you."

"No…she took me to a dirt pile."

Anna laughed hysterically. "You actually thought that was **'The Fortress'**? No way. She does that to nubes to the group."

"Nube?"

"A new person or member to a game, group, club or organization." Regan recited coming from within the fortress. Anna smiled and bowed.

"My Princess." Anna replied in an elegant voice.

Regan bowed in return. "My Queen." Regan extended her hand and Anna took it. They crawled through the small tunnel and finally stood up once the reached the center area. It was a good-sized circular room with tall walls and an ample area to inhabit. It had beat-up lawn chairs, a small stool, flashlights, a cooler, paper cups, crackers, pretzels, apples, oranges, tangerines, and cookies. There were umbrellas, a small table, pillows, blankets, and a couple games.

Nick stood up and looked around. "Whoa."

"Who should he be?" Regan whispered to Anna. Anna smiled and Nick looked at them confused.

"Huh?"

"Well, in **'The Fortress'**, we have assumed identities. We never call each other by our actual names. And every day there is a new adventure." Anna explained.

"So…what's your name?" Nick asked Anna.

"Nope." Regan answered.

"Okay, it's nice but kinda negative don't ya think?" He drawled and Regan rolled her eyes. Anna chuckled.

"No. She means you can't know our identities until you're initiated. You have to be an honorary member." Anna replied and Nick nodded.

"Okay…how do I get initiated?"

"You have to complete four tasks." Regan began. "Once you complete them, you are considered for membership. But the Queen has the final vote."

Anna waved. "That would be me, so you better be nice. As in, when I ask if my ass looks fat in a dress-"

"I say it looks cute." Nick replied. "Got it." Nick nodded. "So what is the initiation procedure?"

Anna smiled deviously, "Well…"

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**Delmarco Residence**

**Guest Room- Nick **

**7:13 p.m.**

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"I cannot _believe_ ya'll made me **do** that!" Nick exclaimed walking into the guest room and plopping down on the bed. Anna followed him in laughing.

"I can't believe you_ actually_ **did **it!" Anna exclaimed and leaned against the dresser. He was soaking wet, covered in sand, and exhausted.

"I'm in **so** much pain."

"You're such an _idiot_." She chuckled and shook her head.

"They were **your** initiations!" Nick deafened. She laughed and sat down on the bed next to him. The bed swayed under her weight and created waves. "I like this bed."

Anna ignored the comment and returned to the conversation. "You didn't have to do the initiations."

"But I want to be part of the club. I don't like being a nube."

Anna laughed. "Sorry to say it but even if you do get in the club you'll be a nube for a while."

Nick moaned and she laughed. "I think you just like to torture me."

"Oh no, you're on to me." She joked and laid back. Nick shook his head.

"You're evil."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are…I had to belly flop off the dock twenty times."

"You should be _thanking_ me. Regan wanted to make it fifty."

Nick moaned. "She's an evil genius. Whew, belly floppin off the dock twenty times; I think I would have lost my boys."

"What?" She looked over at him confused.

Nick chuckled. "Ya know…my boys…"

"Um, I have no idea what you're talkin about."

Nick sighed. "General Nick and the army." Anna rolled over laughing hysterically while Nick blushed. "I regret saying anything."

"Oh God, General Nick!" She laughed. "That's funny."

Nick sighed, "So do I get to be part of the club?"

Anna smiled and thought. "Hmm…I'll have to think about it." She joked and Nick moaned. Anna laughed as Regan walked in.

The two adults looked up at her. "Can we watch a movie?" She asked and Anna nodded.

"You didn't finish Toy Story 2 last night, wanna finish it tonight?"

Regan shook her head. "I want to go to the movies."

Anna sighed. "Raggs, I've been active all day. Why can't we watch a movie here? We've got a thousand."

"Please Anna." She begged. "I really wanna see a movie."

Anna sighed and nodded. "Nick and his parents get to decide. They're the guests."

Regan looked at Nick with pleading eyes. "I don't mind going. If you don't want to take her I can."

"No, it's fine. But only if your parents want to go. I'm not leaving them here."

Nick nodded and stood up. He helped Anna off the bed and the three walked towards the second guest room. Nick knocked on the door and waited for his mother's voice. Suddenly the door opened and Jillian stood in the doorway after freshening up a bit. Nick smiled at her and gestured to Anna and Regan behind him. "Hey mom, we were all thinkin about going to the movies. Are you and Dad up for it?"

"Um…" she looked behind herself, "How long do you think it'll be before we leave?" She drawled.

"Probably an hour or so. Nick and I still have to take our shower." Anna explained and Nick, Regan, Jillian, and Bill all looked at her in shock. She realized what she had said and blushed deep red. She ducked her head and mentally slapped herself. "I-I uh…I m-mean, we need to take separate, different, totally opposite showers."

"Not in the same room or…or-or at the s-s-same time." Nick fumbled trying to help relieve the tension of the situation. Regan drug an embarrassed hand over her face. They were two fumbling idiots…and they couldn't have been more adorable.

"You know, I'm not even going to take a shower." Anna replied smiling nervously.

Nick nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Me neither. No shower."

"No."

"Not at all." They reassured and Jillian still stood there, her mouth hanging open. Bill cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"Well…" He coughed uncomfortably. "That was…okay, yes. Yes, we would love to go to the movies…" He took his wife by the shoulders and led her back into the room.

The awkwardness returned as they all stood there in silence. Regan looked around at the two adults and sighed. "I'm going to take a bath." she replied and turned and walked out of the room. Anna watched her go and thankfully escaped to attend to the little girl. Regan passed the bathroom and went straight to her room. She shut the door in Anna's face just before she made it into the room. Anna closed her eyes and sighed. She hung her head for a moment, knowing she had embarrassed the little girl. She picked her head up and knocked on the door.

"Raggs…can I come in?"

There was no answer. Ann opened the door and poked her head into the room. Regan was sitting on her bed reading one of her books. "I didn't say you could come in." Regan replied coolly, not looking up from her book.

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Geez, you don't have to be a wanker about it. What are you PMS'n?" Anna joked dryly and Regan rolled her eyes. "Wow, the brains **and **attitude of a teenager…lucky me." She strolled into the room and shut the door. Anna sat down on the bed next to Regan.

Regan looked up at Anna was accusing eyes. "You two are making it unbearable to be in the same room together."

"What?" Anna asked confused and Regan sighed aggravated. She stood up and put her book on her bookshelf in its rightful place.

"You and Nick. There is so much sexual tension between the two of you I couldn't cut it with a butcher's knife."

"Hey, you're seven. You aren't allowed to know about sexual tension."

Regan sighed and rolled her eyes, "I learned all about sexual tension from one of my library books." She turned around to face Anna.

"That's it; I want your library card back."

"Anna…" Regan walked back to the bed and sat down. She grabbed her lady bug pillow and hugged it to her chest.

"Okay, okay…I know what you mean. But it's not easy Raggs. If you know so much about sexual tension then you know it's hard to relieve."

"I know how, how about you and Nick get together?"

Anna sighed frustrated, "Why are you so Hell-bent on getting us together? Seriously Raggs, I know you're trying to help honey, but each time you try to push us together you're pushing us farther apart and making the tension you hate so much grow."

Regan sighed, "You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life."

"And the wonderful person who said that would be…"

"Albert Camus."

"Oh, of course." Anna replied sarcastically. "But he's right. Quit trying to force this to happen…if it's meant to be, then it'll happen on its own. Okay?"

Regan nodded and Anna smiled while rubbing Regan's back soothingly. "Okay."

"Come one, hug it out." Anna gestured for Regan to give her a hug. The little girl crawled onto her lap and gave her a warm hug.

"I love you Anna."

"I love you too kiddo." She kissed the side of her head. Regan smiled and held her tighter. Anna hugged her back. And there was no where in the world she'd rather be.

**

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A/N: So, I made this chappy longer and I put a little more detail in. I hope ya'll enjoy it and yeah, I know, Nick's mother's a bitch. Te he. But it's funny. I'll try to update ASAP. R&R!**

Chella


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Sorry if these chapters seem kinda slow. I promise they'll really start to take off in a while. (Unless ya'll think they were already good, then they're just gonna get better) alright, sorry to keep ya'll from the book.

And just a reminder…I do not own the Beetles, or their song Let It Be, or Jillian Stokes, or Bill Stokes.

Now I've just wasted about 2 minuets of ya'lls lives, so I'll shut up and let ya'll read :)

**

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Chapter 5: "No disrespect Bill, but is she always like this?"**

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**Saturday May 7, 2004**

**Delmarco Residence **

**Guest Room- Nick**

**5:23 a.m.**

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Nick felt a slight tug on his sheets. He moaned and rolled over. He grabbed the pillow and threw it over his head to try to get more sleep. Who ever was bugging him would just have to leave because he wasn't getting up. Not for anybody.

"Nick." Anna whispered. Nick sat straight up and teetered drowsily.

"Anna?" He asked only being half awake.

"Yeah. Come on. I want you to see something. I promise you can go to sleep right after." She informed him and he sighed and drug a tired hand over his face. He moaned and she grabbed his arm and sat on his bed. The waves rocked and Anna pouted. "Please."

He looked over at her and saw her pajamas. She had a light green tank top on that matched her stripped green and blue cotton pajama pants. Her hair was in tick, round, loose curls. She had no makeup and looked absolutely gorgeous. He smiled at her. Her early morning beauty was too much to say no to. "Okay." He pulled the sheets off and swung his feet over the side of the bed. He rubbed his eyes and stood up to stretch. He tightened the drawstring on his Rodeo themed pajama pants. He had no shirt on and his sculpted chest and abs were enticing Anna. She blushed.

"Come on." She grabbed his hand and put a finger to her lips to signal for him to be quiet. It was dark as they walked out of his room and into the dining room. She grabbed the two sleeping bags that were by the sliding door and opened the door. She motioned for him to be quiet and they tip toed out of the house.

She shut the door and they walked through the back yard, out the gate, through the sand, all the way to the docks. She climbed up the stairs and Nick followed. The reached the end of the dock and she rolled out her sleeping bag and laid down on it. Nick laid his next to hers and he lay next to her. The sky was getting lighter as pinks and oranges began to rise from the horizon of the lake.

"Wow." Nick said as they counted down the sunrise.

"I know." The sun came up and light the Earth. A smile burst across Anna's face and Nick smiled. "I love this time of day."

"It's beautiful."

Anna nodded and shut her eyes. Nick looked over at her and watched her drift to sleep. He smiled as she rolled on her side to face him. Her breathing became even, signaling she was now fully asleep. Nick rolled to face her and watched her sleep. Slowly, his eyes fell and, like the rolling gentle waves of the ocean, sleep washed over Nick.

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**Delmarco Residence**

**The Docks**

**6:47 a.m.**

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A sea gull made a shrill sound as it flew over head of Nick and Anna. Anna opened her eyes to see Nick's sleeping face. She grabbed his hand and looked at his watch. The clock read 6:47. Anna moaned and Nick's eyes opened. "Sorry." She whispered and Nick smiled.

"It's okay." Secretly, he didn't mind waking up to Anna's face. She smiled back.

"We should get back to the house." Anna stated and Nick nodded his head. Anna slowly stood up and began to roll her sleeping bag. Nick copied her movements and they walked down the docks. As they reached the sand, Nick grabbed Anna's hand affectionately. Anna smiled and blushed.

"Thanks for the sunrise, it was beautiful." he informed her and she nodded her head.

"You're Welcome. I enjoyed it too."

Nick squeezed her hand and she smiled. They made it to the back of the house and Anna slid open the door. They tip toed inside and set the bags by the door. "Well I'm not that tired."

"Me either."

"You wanna watch some television?"

"Sure." They sat on the couch and Anna grabbed the remote, she turned down the volume and handed it to Nick. "You pick."

Nick began to flip through the channels and settled on the news. He looked over at Anna and saw that she was sound asleep. Nick chuckled and decided to let her rest. She rested her head on his shoulder and Nick felt butterflies in his stomach. He smirked as she leaned over and cuddled up to him. She laid her arm on his chest in between his pecks and slid her other one around his back. She folded her legs underneath her and she sighed in contentment.

Nick smiled and brought his arm around her shoulders and held her there. He laid his arm on the arm rest of the couch and he sighed in contentment. He watched the television but didn't really pay attention to it. His thoughts were of the beautiful woman next to him. Nick scooted down the couch into a more comfortable position. Anna adjusted her self subconsciously to be closer to him. Nick smiled and brought his other hand and wrapped it around hers protectively. She was practically on top of him now.

Nick smirked and rested his head against the soft leather of the couch. Anna stirred and looked up at him. He met her gaze and smiled. She blushed. "So much for not bein tired huh?"

Nick chuckled. "Yeah."

"How long was I out?"

"Eh, only a couple minuets."

Anna nodded. She then realized her position on him and that his hand was covering hers. She smiled. "You been holdin my hand Stokes?" She teased and he quickly retracted his hand.

"Oh, uh…I'm-"

"It's okay." She took his hand in hers. "It was nice." She laid her head back on his shoulder and he smiled and kissed the top of her head. She smiled wider and so did Nick.

Behind them, a door slowly closed and Jillian pretended she was strangling someone. Bill looked up from his book and shook his head at his wife. "Leave them alone honey. Nothing's happening."

"Well you obviously weren't paying attention."

"Yeah, sorry I was too busy reading my book to spy on our son's love life."

"Ah! You said 'love life'!"

Bill sighed, "Sorry, _infatuation_ life." He rolled his eyes and his wife made a face. "Jill, calm down. It was an innocent kiss on the top of her head. That's something a grandparent does."

"He held her hand too."

"Oh my GOD! He held her hand! Dear Sweet Jesus! Call the church elders! We must put an end to this horrible fornication!" Bill mocked and Jillian swatted his arm.

"Bill, this is serious."

Bill sighed and removed his glasses to gesture with them, "Leave it alone. Like the Beetles say," He put his glasses back on, "**Let it be**." Bill chuckled.

Jillian sighed and laid back. "What are we going to do?"

"I know, how about _leave it alone_."

"I mean, I'm drawin blank here. What next?"

"Hey," Bill replied excitedly and turned on his side to face her, "I have a crazy idea."

"What?" Jillian asked hopeful, she sat up to be level with him.

"How about…we leave him alone."

Jillian sighed and moaned. "No. It's my job to protect him."

"No, he's turning 34 in 3 months. He's a big boy and he can take care of himself."

Jillian sighed. "Alright, alright…I'll leave it alone."

"Don't lie to me."

"What?"

"Don't tell me you're gonna leave it alone when you know you're not. I've been married to you for 42 years...and you haven't changed a bit. I'm not stupid Jill." He rolled back to his back and continued reading.

Jillian scoffed. "What ever." She put a pillow over her face and rolled to her other side so she was facing away from her husband.

Bill shook his head at his wife's immature nature.

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**Delmarco Residence**

**9:15 a.m.**

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Anna walked to the dinning room table and set Regan's cereal bowl in front of her and smoothed the girl's hair back. She planted a kiss on her forehead and Regan looked up and smiled at her. Bill looked over at Jillian accusingly and she only rolled her eyes.

"So what does everyone want to do today?" Anna asked the table. Nick looked up from his cheerios and wiped his mouth.

"Mom, Dad, what are you up for?"

The two exchanged glances and shrugged. "I don't know. We've never really been to Vegas."

Anna nodded and adjusted her peach/orange shirt with a white lace spaghetti strap top underneath. She smoothed out her peach, orange, yellow, and white pinstripe Bermuda shorts and sat down in her seat. "Well…I've lived here the longest so I know where everything is. I say we go sight seeing for a while, and then we can decide from there." Anna suggested and Nick nodded.

"That sounds good. What do you think mom and dad?"

"Well I want to go put-put golfing." Regan remarked and adjusted herself so that she was sitting on her calves and her butt at the same time. Anna raised an eyebrow and gestured to her table manners. Regan hung her head guiltily and sat back down properly. Anna reached over and wiped up the cheerios she had spilled.

"Well that's up to Mr. and Mrs. Stokes."

"Please, call me Bill." Bill replied smiling at the young woman, Anna looked up and smiled back. Jillian kicked Bill's leg underneath the table. "Ow!" He remarked and winced in pain. Anna frowned and raised her eyebrow once more. Nick did the same and only his was directed at his mother.

"Mom…"

"Sounds like fun." She interrupted the rest of his thought and what he was insinuating.

"Yes, that would be delightful." Bill replied straining his voice on account of the pain shooting through his calve.

"Good." Regan smiled and continued to eat her cheerios. Anna smirked at the little girl and shook her head in amusement.

Nick looked up to see his mother's cold face and hard expression. He knew where it was directed…Anna. /-/ this is gonna be a _fun_ day. /-/ he thought and continued with his cereal.

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**Saturday May 7, 2004**

**Mickey's Mini Golf Course**

**1st round**

**1:54 p.m.**

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"Ugh…look at them." Jillian whispered disgustedly to Bill. "He can't keep his eyes off her. Or her ass of that matter."

"Oooh. Mama Stokes' mad." Bill replied sarcastically. Jillian pinched his arm. "Ow! You're aggressive today."

She moaned, "What does he see in her?"

"Probably what I see in you." Bill said and Jillian looked over at him. He arranged himself so he could put. "A unique and interesting personality." He swung his club and the ball made contact perfectly.

Jillian sighed and rubbed her temples. "This is gonna be a long day." She grumbled.

"Is your head botherin you mom?" Nick asked concerned when he saw his mother's strained face.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Just a headache." She lied.

"I think I have some Advil. Here, come sit in the shade." Nick suggested and led her to the bench underneath the palm tree. She looked behind her to see Anna put at the Egyptian pyramid. She had an impressive swing. Jillian moaned and sat down. "Is it getting worse?" Nick asked concerned.

Anna jumped up and down in victory; she just beat them all in the first round. Nick turned around and gave a huge smile and a thumbs up. Anna gave a huge smile back and a wink. Jillian moaned at her love struck boy's actions. "Yeah. A lot worse." Jillian popped back the Advil and chugged the water back.

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**Mickey's Mini Golf Course**

**2nd round**

**2:16 p.m.**

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So far Regan was winning the second round. Bill was in close second, Anna in third, Nick in fourth, and Jillian was in last. She was too distracted by her son and Anna's interactions to focus on the game. Bill went up to put and knocked the ball in the hole perfectly. Everybody cheered. "Nice shot Bill." Regan complemented. Bill saluted her and she chuckled. Anna leaned over to Nick and whispered,

"She's seems to take to him very well. The Stokes' charm must run through all the men in the family. And dear Regan has fallen captive to it all." Anna joked and Nick chuckled. He shook his head.

"All kids seem to take to him well. I don't know why."

Anna chuckled and Jillian stood up to put. Jillian swung the club and missed the ball. They all frowned in looked at each other. Her game had been off all day. "Jill, what is up with you? Normally you'd be killin me out here. Why is your game so off?" Bill asked concerned.

Jillian sighed and adjusted her sunglasses. She looked over to see Nick and Anna flirting wildly and she narrowed her gaze. "I've been distracted."

Bill rolled his eyes and rubbed his forehead. Regan looked up at him and smiled. "No disrespect Bill, but is she always like this?"

Bill chuckled. "Oh yeah. It's one of the reasons I married her." Regan raised an eyebrow and looked at him like he had just told her pigs could fly. Bill laughed and ruffled her hair, "You'll understand when you're older."

Regan scoffed, "I've been hearin that a lot lately."

Anna watched the interaction and smiled, "Proof in context." Nick smiled at her and she smiled back. "Are you sure she's okay to play with her headache?" Anna questioned.

"I don't know. Mama, are you sure you're okay to play?" Nick's drawl was laced with concern.

"Yes Honey. I'll be okay." She looked over at her son to see that he had his arm around Anna and they were standing close. Anna turned to face Nick and she batted her long eye lashes. It was sickening. Jillian glared and swung the club as hard as she could. The ball finally made contact with the club. The ball flew through the air…right to Anna's head.

Everyone's jaw dropped, and so did Anna. She fell to the ground and Nick began to run to her side. "Wait!" Regan held hi back and looked around the area where they had been standing. She saw the golf ball. "I think it's safe." She replied and Nick ran to Anna. Regan picked up the golf ball and inspected it carefully. It was the same ball they had been putting with.

"Jesus Christ Jillian!" Bill yelled and ran to the girl's side.

Jillian stayed frozen in her position. "Shit." She whispered in shock.

"Bill, get the manager of the golf course and tell them we have one unconscious victim who was probably hit by a golf ball, there are no visual signs of vital damage, and bring him here along with a first aid kit. It doesn't look serious so we don't need to call 911." Regan alleged.

Bill took off running and Nick looked over at Regan. "We can't move her, she has a head injury. It could involve her neck and spine too."

"Yes we can. I need a blanket or jacket." Regan demanded.

"Here, take mine." Nick offered. Regan spread it out and open next to Anna.

"Okay, now carefully roll her onto the jacket." They did so. Regan stood up. "Take the collar of the jacket and hold it up about two inches. Make sure her head and neck are held in place and not moving." Nick stood in the position she had described. "Now gently drag her away from here to the small hut by the plains of Africa."

When Anna was safely away from the course Regan sighed, "I'm going back to wait for your dad and the manager." Regan stood and walked back to the spot were the incident had happened. Regan looked around but found no sign of anyone. Including Jillian. "Mrs. Stokes?" Regan called. She received no answer and sighed. She could see Bill and, who Regan assumed was the manager, in the distance. Regan flailed her arms and they jogged towards her.

"Where is she?"

"Over here." Regan directed them to the spot where Anna laid. Nick was giving her rescue breaths and dabbing her forehead with cold water. The manager knelt down next to Anna and opened his kit.

"What happened?"

"She got hit with a golf ball." Nick relied and stepped aside to let the man do what he was trained to do.

"You know, they give us this training. But it hasn't happened before."

"There's a first time for everything." Bill replied and watched the man skeptically.

Within a few minuets Anna's eyes fluttered open. "Wh-wh-what? Where-"

"It's okay Miss. You were knocked out by a golf ball."

Anna looked around confused. "I was hit by a golf ball?"

They all nodded. Anna laid back and rested a second. She felt her head and winced. "Are you okay to sit up?"

"Yeah." she said slowly and pulled herself up right. The manager handed her an ice pack. She held it to her head and winced.

"If it wasn't for this young lady here we don't know what would have happened. She formulated a plan and moved you out of harm way and took care of immediate precautions." The man informed Anna. She looked up at Regan and she shrugged.

"I read it in one of my library books."

Anna smiled, "You can have your library card back."

They all chuckled and Anna looked around. "Nick, where's your mother?" They all stopped laughing and looked around.

"I don't know."

Jillian came up from behind her husband. Bill turned around and sighed, "Well, good job Jill. You knocked her out cold."

"Oh no. No, no, don't worry about it. I'm fine now." Anna objected and smiled at Jillian. "I'm fine. I know you didn't mean it."

Bill looked at Jillian accusingly. "Thank you Anna." Jillian said politely. She forced a smile.

"Well, let's just…let's get going." Anna replied and Nick helped her stand up. They five of them made their way back to Nick's car and Nick helped Regan and Anna in.

"Do you wanna go home?" Nick asked Anna concerned. Anna shook her head and immediately regretted it. She held her head and waited for the car to stop spinning.

"No. I'm okay."

Nick gave her a skeptical eye and she placed her hand gently on his forearm. He sighed and shook his head. Nick closed the car door and walked around to the other side of the Tahoe. He climbed in the driver's side and buckled his seatbelt. He looked over and smiled at Anna. In his rearview mirror he could see his mother whispering vehemently to his father, who would whisper back and roll his eyes.

Nick frowned but shook it off and pulled out of the golf course parking lot.

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**Delmarco Residence**

**6:39 p.m.**

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They five inhabitants of the Delmarco home poured their tired bodies into the front door. Nick was the only energetic one. He was bouncing off the walls compared to the other four. Anna looked over at him and moaned in tiredness. "Regan, remind me to never let Nick have a sip of my energy drink **ever** again."

Regan nodded. "Dually noted."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Don't over exaggerate, I'm not _that_ hyper."

Anna scoffed, "From what I've seen and heard about Greg, and that's a lot, right now, you seem more hyper than him."

Nick gasped in mock-horror. Jillian slowly turned her head to look at Anna. "How long have you known Nick?"

"About four days." Anna and Nick answered at the same time.

Jillian nodded and Anna mouthed the word 'Sorry' to Nick. Hew drug a tired hand over his face. Bill and Regan looked at each other and rolled their eyes. They all knew what Jillian was thinking, 'Nick tells more to his new "friend" that he's only known for four days, than to his mother'.

"Well uh, I don't know about the rest of you but I'm starving. What does everybody want for dinner?" Anna asked as she walked towards the kitchen.

"Wait, wait." Nick walked into the kitchen and Anna looked over at him confused. She turned slightly to look at him. "You're tired, we're all hungry, why don't we just go out for dinner?"

"Yes!" Regan jumped up and smiled. Bill chuckled at the little girl.

"No, no. You're all my guests." Anna objected.

Nick shook his head and took her hand and placed his hand on the small of her back. He gently led her out of the kitchen. "No, you're tired, and no doubt have a headache. We can go out. I'm sure it'll be fine with everybody."

Anna looked up at everybody and they nodded. "I don't know."

"C'mon, my treat."

Anna shook her head, "No, you're the guest."

"Please don't be so darn independent and let me take ya'll out to dinner." Nick asked and Anna looked back at him and raised an eyebrow she paused, and then sighed in defeat.

"Are you sure?"

Nick flashed her a genuine Nick Stokes smile and winked. "Yep." He drawled and Anna felt herself melt. She blushed and ducked her head.

"Fine." Anna agreed.

Regan jumped up happily. "Yeah!"

Anna smirked and took the little girl's hand. "You need to wash up and change first. You're covered in sand."

Regan nodded and ran to her bedroom. "Nick, where exactly are we going?" Jillian asked.

"It's a surprise."

Anna sighed. "Nick, where are we going?"

"_Nope_. It's a **surprise**." Nick emphasized and smiled mischievously. Anna pursed her lips to try and hide the fact that she was actually enjoying the banter and surprise.

Anna sighed. "Fine." She walked off to her bedroom and Nick smiled and watched her leave, enjoying the view as he did so. Jillian rolled her eyes and went to the guest room she was staying in.

"Don't concentrate too hard there son. You don't want that giddy grin to be your permanent face now do ya?" Bill joked.

Nick looked over confused, "Huh?"

Bill chuckled, "You enjoyin the view?" Bill raised an eyebrow and Nick ducked his head ashamed. Bill laughed. "I've been there before. Your mother had the tightest butt-"

"Eeeeww! Dad! I don't want to hear your sexual thoughts on my mother!" Nick exclaimed and Bill laughed again.

"All I'm sayin is, it's okay to look, but don't let 'em catch you doin it-"

"Duh."

"You can touch, but with her permission-"

"Duh." Nick repeated.

"If you want to get involved…make sure it's for the long haul."

"Dad I've only known her four days."

"And judgin by the looks you give her and you light up when she walks into a room or says anythin, four days was all it took." Bill narrowed his gaze in a kind-fatherly manner.

Nick looked back to the door where Anna had exited. "Took for what? Four days is all it took for what?" Nick asked truly oblivious though no one else was.

Bill paused a moment as if he didn't know how to voice it, "To fall for her son." Nick looked over, startled from the accusation. He opened his mouth to say something but Bill held up his hand to stop him. "Don't deny it. Steve Wonder could see how you feel for her." Nick ducked his head and blushed. "And reading your mind, yes it's that obvious. Even that little girl could see it, although that ain't sayin much considerin how intuitive she is." Nick smiled. "But just remember Nick, when you fall for her…you fall for the little one too. And there is no doubt in my mind that you could make Anna fall for you like you've fallen for her if she already hasn't. But while ya'll are getting all lovey dovey and fallin in love, you keep that little girl in mind. Because if ya'll separate and call it quits, not only will you hurt yourselves, you'll hurt Regan whose already latched on to you."

"I know."

"I know you do. I'm just remindin you. Goodness knows I haven't agreed with your choice of women and 'playboy ways' as your mother puts it, bein with a different girl every other night, but I like Anna. I could see ya'll together for a long time. And I'm okay with that. But thinkin of all the great things that can happen…think of all the things that could go wrong. Don't' hurt those fragile little women. Goodness knows they've been dealt a hard life and have made the best of it." He gestured to the house around him.

"Dad, you barely know them. How-"

"Ah…I'm an excellent judge of character and human behavior. It's kind of necessary for the job."

Nick shook his head. "Yeah."

"Be careful son…and don't screw this one up."

Nick chuckled, "Thanks Dad."

Bill nodded. "No problem son." The two men departed to their separate ways and went to their rooms. Nick walked into his room and pulled off his T shirt. He stood there for a moment, and then took off his socks and shoes. When he was finished, he stood back up and stood still. He was thinking about what his dad had said.

"_If you want to get involved, make sure it's for the long haul… four days was all it took…to fall for her son… yes it's that obvious… but just remember Nick, when you fall for her you fall for the little one too… I could see ya'll together for a long time. And I'm okay with that."_

Nick sighed and sat on his bed. He rested his elbows on his knees and let his folded hand hang. He sighed and hung his head.

/-/ Is dad right? Should I get involved with Anna and take the risk. I mean, it's not only ourselves we have to worry about now…it's Regan too. No matter how smart and resilient she is, she can only take so much. And aside from Regan, the last thing I want to do is hurt Anna. Dad was right when he said it only took four days. And I do tend to screw up relationships pretty bad, if you could even call 'em relationships. What if I mess it up with Anna? Then what…I've only known her four days and I already know I don't want to spend a single day away from her. So…do I risk it/-/

Suddenly a thought hit Nick and he dropped his jaw. "Oh, my, God." Nick said stunned while pausing in between each word. "That's why Grissom never got with Sara…he's worried about ruining everything…their friendship, what's left of it, their working environment…everything." Nick sighed. "Wow." It all finally made sense. All the years of him subjecting her to torture…it was self preservation…of both of them. He loved her so much he couldn't be with her. He knew he'd mess it up and disappoint her and both their reputations would be ruined.

Nick sighed.

He stood and pulled on a clean pair of jeans and a fresh dress shirt. He walked to the bathroom in a daze and continued getting ready.

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**Antonio's Little Italian Bistro **

**Saturday May 7, 2004**

**7:12 a.m.**

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Nick surprised the family with a nice dinner at Antonio's. Everyone had changed into nicer clothes and was now seated at one of the restaurant's finest tables. Apparently Nick had arranged for a formal dinner for him, Anna, and Regan, but luckily he was able to add his parents in at the last moment. Nick smiled and pulled out the chair for Regan to let her sit, before he could move to pull out Anna's she was already sitting and looking at her menu. Nick shook his head and chuckled. Bill pulled out the chair for Jillian and she smiled. "Thanks Honey." She replied and looked over to see Anna was already sitting across from her. Jillian scowled on the inside but didn't let it show.

"Does everybody know what they want?" Nick asked.

"I do." Regan replied, "I want the** fanciullo grossezza lardo, Italian salsiccia, and formaggio pizza." Regan replied expertly and nonchalantly as if Italian was her first language. **

**Jillian looked over critically, "Do you even know what that means?" **

**Regan raised an eyebrow, "Uh, _yeah_." Regan replied as if it was so palpable. Anna nudged her and flashing a warning scowl. She shook her head as a warning and Regan sighed. "Yes Mrs. Stokes, it means that I would like an order of the child size bacon, Italian sausage, and cheese pizza." Regan nodded and looked back at her menu. "Anna, can I have dessert when I finish my dinner?" Regan asked and Anna smiled and stroked Regan's hair and placed it behind her ear and out of her face. **

**"As long as you finish your dinner and its okay with Nick." **Anna leanedover to Nick, "Seriously, please let me pay for mine and Regan's half." She whispered and Nick shook his head.

"No, I wanted to do this for ya'll." Nick replied. Anna sighed and sat back straight in her chair. She opened her menu and scanned it for items she knew. She smiled, "I know what I want."

"Same here." Bill drawled.

"Me too." Jillian answered.

"Good." Nick motioned for the waitress and they all ordered their foods. The waitress collected their menus and disappeared behind the wall separating the restaurants to smoking and non-smoking sections. Nick folded his hands in front of him and Anna stood.

"We're going to wash up." Anna replied and smoothed out her long, white, voile skirt and adjusted her peach top that she had been wearing earlier that day. Regan stood also and smoothed the lines out of her ladybug dress with black and white checker spots. "We'll be right back." With that they disappeared also and Nick was left alone with his parents for the first time since they'd arrived. The three of them sat in awkward silence as the two men watched Jillian flip through the desert and alcoholic beverages menu as if nothing was wrong. Nick and his father shared a knowing look and Bill placed his hand on his wife's knee.

"Honey…are you okay?"

"Yes." She replied and didn't make eye contact with either of them. Nick looked over at his father and then shifted his attention back to his mother.

"Mama, do you want me to order you up somthin from off there?" Nick drawled and Jillian smiled and shook her head.

"No honey. I promise ya'll, I'm fine. I'm just a little tired is all." She patted his hand and lovingly caressed her husbands face. Bill raised a brow and wondered what she was up to. She just smiled a smile that only Bill knew…to an outsider it seemed as just a normal smile, but to an erudite individual such as Bill Stokes, it was the smile of a woman with a devious plan.

Jillian turned back around and faced the table just as Anna and Regan were returning. Regan was saying something to Anna and Anna pursed her lips to hold in her smile. She ruffled the little girl's hair affectionately and pulled out her chair for her. Regan sat in the seat and Anna turned around to see Nick had quickly stood up and pulled out her chair for her. She shook her head and chuckled. "Thank you Nick." She flattened her skirt and sat down. Nick scooted the chair in, smiling about his victory.

Anna lightly slapped his arm and rolled her eyes. Nick gave her his genuine Nick Stokes smile and she felt her face flush. She pursed her lips to keep the smile from off her face. Jillian looked at Bill and raised her eye brow accusingly as if he had suggested this interaction. She rolled her eyes and put on her well crafted front. "So, Nick, Anna, what do ya'll have planned for tomorrow?" She folded her hands in front of her expectantly.

Nick and Anna exchanged confused glances. "Um…I'm not sure." Anna began. "I hadn't really had any of this planned." Anna chuckled nervously.

Nick shrugged, "I didn't either…" Nick lied and took a quick sip of water avoiding his father's stare. "Mama, do you have any ideas? Anything in particular ya'll wanna do?" Nick looked around the table and Regan raised her hand. Nick smiled at the little girl, "Yes?"

"How about we all go sailing on our boat?" Regan suggested and Anna raised an eyebrow.

"You still remember how to sail?" Anna asked skeptically and Regan smiled.

"Yeah. And you will too. It's like riding a bike." Regan patted Anna's hand. "Don't worry, I'll sail the boat."

Anna smiled and leaned over to plant a kiss on Regan's forehead. "Well thank you very much."

"Oh no, we'll be sailing by the direction of a seven year old." Bill teased and winked at the girl. Regan grinned and shook her head.

"Well, lucky you, the seven year old who'll be guiding you is a proclaimed genius." Regan bragged and they all laughed. Anna shook her head and nudged her playfully.

"Hey, didn't I teach you modesty?" Anna teased.

Regan thought long and hard. "No." She answered and the table laughed again.

* * *

A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long to be posted. I hope I didn't loose some readers. I'll try to have the next chapter up by next Tuesday. And I should be coming out with two more books soon. Please _**Review**!_ Sorry this chapter took so long to be posted. I hope I didn't loose some readers. I'll try to have the next chapter up by next Tuesday. And I should be coming out with two more books soon. Please 


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**: Sorry I took so long to update. I've been away for a friend. And I got exams comin up. And my job is driving me crazy. To top it all off my internet was down…again (I'm getting a new computer). Whew this week sucks!

I'm warning you know that there is some language in this. Nothing severe I just thought I should let you know.

But anyways…I've read the reviews…I've heard the demands…and I'M WORKIN ON IT:) Someone might get kissed. Someone might see it. Some one might get pissed. And someone else may get in trouble… :)

Okay, Okay, that's my teaser for the chapter…SO READ IT. You know you want to :)

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Chapter 6: "Science Geeks of the round table…I think we've found our lobster."**

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**Delmarco Residence**

**The Docks**

**Sunday May 8, 2004**

**7:02 a.m.**

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"I don't see why we had to be up so damn early." Jillian grumbled and took a sip of her coffee. She adjusted her sunglasses and brought her brown sunhat down over her face. She crossed her leg over her knee and rested her elbow on her knee with her chin in her hand. She sighed and Bill shook his head.

"If we hadn't gotten up so early we wouldn't have been able to set up the boat. Well, everyone else wouldn't have been able to set up the boat. You just sat here all morning moanin and groanin over your lost sleep." Bill drawled. He pushed up the sleeves of his white sweater with three blue stripes and set his foot on the small column lining the dock.

Jillian sighed. "I'm just not a morning person." She lied and Bill scoffed. He walked to stand beside her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Honey, just let yourself have fun. It won't kill you ya know."

"The only way I could have fun is if Nick wasn't being smothered with sexuality by that little-"

"Anna!" Bill interrupted cheerfully upon seeing Anna near them.

"Hey guys. You ready to go?" Anna asked as she approached them and slid off her sunglasses and pushed them up to the top of her head.

"Yes." Jillian replied less than enthused. Anna sighed in disappointment wondering why Jillian wasn't having fun.

Bill saw the look on the young woman's face and he gave a supportive smile. "Well be ready in a minuet Anna. Just give Jill and me a minuet."

Anna gave a small smile and turned back toward the boat. She approached the boat and leaned against one of the ropes holding up the sails. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked out over the blue lake. Nick looked up with a smile and it vanished when he saw the distressed look on Anna's face. Nick put down the cooler and walked up to her. He leaned against the rope next to hers and nudged her slightly. "Hey, what's wrong?" Anna sighed and pushed her glasses back up on her head so she could look Nick in the eye.

"Is your mother okay with me?"

Nick frowned a minuet and paused to think. "Yeah. Why wouldn't she be?"

Anna shrugged, "I don't know, it just always seems awkward between us."

Nick shook his head, "No. She's just…she doesn't warm up to people easily." Anna scoffed and shook her head, "Seriously," Nick drawled, "I mean, with my last girlfriend, Terri, my mom basically tore her apart." Nick chuckled and Anna stared at Nick in embarrassment…it wasn't till now that he realized what he'd called her. "Oh! I-uh…I mean friends. Yeah she's, she really doesn't warm up to people well…"

Anna smiled and Regan walked towards them, but turned and walked past them. As she did so she coughed, "Sexual tension." Cough. "Kiss her." Cough, cough. Anna looked over at her and frowned while raising an eyebrow.

"Wow, that's a bad cough Regan. Ya think some couch syrup will take care of it?" Anna expertly manipulated the little girl. Regan's eyes bulged and she quickly walked back towards the ends of the dock to collect the other supplies. Anna smirked as she watched her go and looked back at Nick. "Oh. You said you needed to talk to me yesterday…what's up?"

"Um…" He looked behind him at his parents and Regan. "Now's not really the best time…how about tomorrow night? At dinner." He smirked and Anna ducked her head and pursed her lips to keep from smiling.

She met his gaze. "Why Mr. Stokes, are you askin lil' ol' me to accompany you on a date?" Anna mocked in her best Southern Belle imitation. Nick laughed.

"You're good at that…and yes."

"Uh, I think you're forgetting about one little thing…" Anna gestured behind her towards Regan. Nick looked behind her and smiled.

"Don't worry about it; my parents will be okay without us." Nick joked and Anna laughed. "Besides, I'm sure Regan wouldn't mind baby sitting them." Nick drawled and Anna shoved him lightly.

"Nick."

"Okay, okay. I'll get my parents to watch her."

"No! They're my guests! I'm not gonna leave them to watch Regan while I go out on a date."

Nick held up his hands. "Trust me, my mom and dad will be thrilled to get to spend time with her. Dad adores her, and I think mom is puzzled by her…but in a good way." Nick smiled. "I know my mom is just dyin to see what makes her tick."

Anna chuckled and shook her head, "Pardon me, but I'm not too comfortable with your parents dissecting my sister."

Nick chuckled, "Please. I actually planned the restaurant for us last night but…"

Anna sighed and nodded. "Okay…but if your parents hesitate,** no** pressuring."

Nick held up his hands in surrender. "I promise."

Anna smirked and narrowed her gaze on him. "You're acting all jittery and excited, now you have me curious." She moved closer and Nick chuckled again. "Is it a nice restaurant?"

"Ah! No hints."

"No, no. I need to know what I have to wear."

"I'll pick out your outfit."

Anna gave a quick laugh. "No."

Nick smiled. "Yes…it's a nice restaurant."

"Oooohh! Nicky sprung for the big time! What would you have done if I'd said no?" She teased and nudged him slightly. Nick chuckled and ducked his head. "Awww…is Nick embarrassed cause he prepared for our date before I said yes?"

Nick chuckled. "Just…keep it on the D.L."

"Duh, I know you don't want your mom to know."

"Actually I was talking about Regan. I love that little girl to death but she can be scary." Nick joked and Anna chuckled. They turned around and began to walk towards his parents. Nick's hand found its way to the small of her back and led her to a spot next to the pillars. Nick smiled at them all. "Ready?"

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**Lake Mead**

**11:58 a.m.**

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"No." Regan replied and picked up her piece of rope as Anna watched. "You make the knot like this." She tied the rope to form a perfect fisherman's knot. Anna raised an eyebrow.

"What's the difference between yours and mine?" Regan took Anna's knot and pulled on it, the knot came undone easily. "Oh…okay, show me again."

Regan once again demonstrated to Anna how to tie the knot as Bill and Nick kicked back and let their fishing poles dangle in the water. Nick had removed his shirt and was now letting his bare bronze chest shine in the sun as he pulled his cowboy hat down over his head further. His father did the same as he reclined in his swim trunks and Tee shirt.

Jillian was reading a book in the sun with her brown sun hat and sunglasses. She occasionally looked up to the people around her. Her gaze constantly wandered over to Anna baring all she had in her pearl pink bikini with see through loose white beach pants and matching loose, white, see through, long sleeve shirt. Her hair was pulled up high on her head and her brown wavy curls spilled from the pony tail.

Anna stood and ruffled the seven-year-old's hair as she crossed the boat. She went to the cooler and grabbed a fruit drink as she walked out to the open deck. She laid out her mat and stripped off her white top and bottoms revealing her bikini. She slid on her sunglasses and lay on her back to tan.

Nick was laughing at something his father had said as his gaze wandered around the deck. He spotted Anna's form and did a double take. His eyes ambled up and down her body as he soaked up the goddesses' form. Anna could sense a pair of eyes on her and she looked up to see Nick's blush. He quickly turned around and Anna smiled and shook her head.

A few minuets later Nick and his father jumped up as Nick began to pull on his fishing pole. Everyone looked up and ran over to his chair to see what the commotion was all about. Nick's father was cheering him on and Nick was reeling in the fish. Anna watched Nick's bronzed muscular arms flex as he yanked and reeled.

"Geez son, this one's gonna be big!" Bill exclaimed, his drawl coming out from the excitement.

"Come on Nick! You can do it!" Regan cheered.

"Reel harder Nick." His mother instructed.

"Don't pull with your entire body, use your arms and lean." Anna informed him. Nick did as she instructed. "There ya go. Come on Nicky!" She applauded. Jillian looked over and scowled at the pet name she'd called him.

"He's a big one!" Nick exclaimed.

"You can do it Babe." Anna replied. Nick smiled, her pet names made his adrenaline rush and he tried harder to pull the fish from the water. Jillian frowned at the girl's affect on her baby boy.

"Geez! He's puttin up one Hell of a fight!" Nick hollered.

"Come on, pull him in! You got him Nicky. You got him!" Anna jumped up and down in joy as the fish almost surfaced. Jillian couldn't stand it.

"You can do it Nick!" She cheered and threw her arms out in a cheer, knocking Anna off the boat at the same time as Nick's fish came out of the water and landed on the deck.

"Ahhh!" Anna yelled as she fell in the water.

"Anna!" Nick bellowed and dropped his pole, as he dove in after her. Bill looked over at his wife and knew it was her doing. He pinched her arm and she frowned.

"Are you trying to kill her!" Bill exclaimed in horror.

"It was an accident!" Jillian defended.

Bill shook his head and ran after Regan who was prepared to jump in after her sister. "No Regan!"

They all waited in silent agony waiting to see the two resurface. Bubbles rose to the top of the water, and soon two heads emerged. Anna gasped and choked for air as Nick helped her swim to the edge of the boat. "Here. Help her to me son." Bill instructed as Nick lifted her to his father. Anna grabbed his hands and he hoisted her from the water. Nick jumped up over the boat and he and Anna collapsed on the docks.

Anna choked for air and spit the water from her mouth. Nick was breathing heavily and gasping, but he rolled over and pulled Anna from off her back and rolled her to her side. She instinctively formed a ball and Nick brought her close to him to keep her warm. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head protectively. Regan kneeled down next to Anna and rubbed her shoulder.

Regan slowly looked up to see Nick's father. Brown met green and slowly, Regan's drifted to Nick's mother who was walking towards the small cabin of the boat. Regan frowned and looked back at Bill. His face was blank as he walked away to get the two of them blankets. Regan looked back at Nick and Anna. Nick was holding her tight; as if he was afraid she was going to slip away from him again. Regan bit her lip and prayed to God she wouldn't. And that Nick would be able to see what his mother was up to.

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**Lake Mead**

**12:31 p.m.**

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Anna and Nick sat side by side, wrapped up in a blanket, on a bench by the cabin window of the boat. Nick was lightly but tenderly holding Anna's hand and every now and then, he squeezed it to make sure she was okay. She'd smile and squeeze his hand back to lessen his worries. Anna looked over at Jillian in curiosity.

Was it really an accident as she had claimed?

Regan didn't seem to think so. Any time Jillian mentioned Anna's name or attempted to come near her Regan stood in the way or made up an excuse to keep her away from Anna. Regan wasn't going to have another incident, this one more than likely fatal, happen to Anna.

"Anna, I'm tired." Regan replied as she curled up on Anna's lap.

"Oh, Raggs, it's only because it's been an eventful few days. If you want, you can take a nap in the cabin of the boat." Regan nodded and climbed off her sister's lap. "I'm gonna go tuck her in." She stood and brushed the blanket off her.

Nick watched her go and looked over at his parents. They were arguing in hushed voices about something. Nick couldn't quiet hear what they were saying, much less did he care. He followed the path Anna had taken to make sure she and Regan were all right. He walked through the small cabin where all the controls were, made his way through the small kitchen, dinning room, sitting room, and stopped when he reached the door to the bedroom. He knocked lightly on it and Anna's voice sounded.

"Come on in."

Nick opened the door and poked his head in to see Anna sitting on the bed reading Regan a story. Nick chuckled, no matter how much of a genius she was, Regan still enjoyed Dr. Sues. Nick walked to the bed and picked up the book Anna had sat down. "Dr. Sues…I would have expected your bedtime stories to be Homer, Fitzgerald, or Freud or something." Nick joked and Anna laughed.

"Freud is Mondays and Tuesdays, Homer is Wednesdays and Thursdays, and Fitzgerald is Fridays and Saturdays." Regan replied. Nick laughed and shook his head. "I'm serious." Regan stated and Nick looked at her astonished.

Anna cracked a smile at the look on Nick's face. She shook her head and moved off the bed. "Come on kiddo." She moved the blankets back and let Regan crawl beneath them. Anna pulled the blankets up to Regan chin and kissed her forehead. "Sleep tight Raggs. I'll wake you up in about an hour."

"Okay." Regan whispered sleepily. Anna and Nick quietly walked out of the room and closed the door behind them. Nick chuckled.

"She never ceases to amaze me."

"Something's bothering her…but I don't know what." Anna remarked absently as she and Nick began to climb the stairs that led to one of the sitting areas. Anna sat on the couch and reclined against the cushions. "I-I…I just want to know what's bothering her." Nick sat next to her and patted her claves. "I mean, normally she tells me things because she knows that it isn't healthy to keep things bottled up. She's always lecturing me about that." She slipped sideways and laid her head on the arm rest and tossed her legs over Nick's knees and he began to rub her feet. "The only time she doesn't talk about stuff is when she's still trying to sort it out, and even then, if it takes her too long she'll come and ask for my help. That normally happens after a few days or even a week at most, but never this long. This has been goin on for a few weeks but it's really evident now." He worked his thumbs into the soles of her feet and her heels. He massaged the backs of her ankles and rubbed her toes. She sighed and looked over at him. "Wow…you're really good at that."

Nick laughed, "Yeah well, with seven overly hormonal women, an absent brother and over worked father, ya gotta know how to keep the women happy. A man's gotta survive."

Anna chuckled and rolled her head back to look at the ceiling. She moaned and dragged her hands over her face. "I wish I knew what was going through her mind."

Nick scoffed, "Don't we all."

Anna laughed and grabbed his hand. He stopped massaging her feet and looked at her. She gave a small smile, "Thank you. For the foot massage and the comfort." She grinned and Nick matched it with a grin of his own. He squeezed her hand.

"You're welcome." Anna blushed and looked from his deep brown eyes to his luscious pink lips. She blushed deeper and ducked her head. Nick chuckled and grabbed her other hand. She swung her feet over and he slowly lifted her off the couch. She looked down at him and smiled again. Her curly waves fell into her face and covered her pink cheeks. Nick looked at her and he felt his heart beat quicken. His mouth became dry, he felt flushed all over, and he swore he was shaking. Looking into her Amazon eyes made his breathing quicken. She wiggled her perfectly manicured eyebrows to loosen the tension and wrinkled her nose as she smiled.

Nick laughed throatily and his hands slid down her forearms and her waist as they landed on her hips. He stroked the soft slightly tanned flesh beneath his fingertips. Anna smirked and let her gaze wander to where his hands rested and then back up to his eyes. She dragged her fingers over his hands and up his forearms, all the way to his shoulders and she let them rest there. Nick sucked in a slight breath and she rested her knee on the couch between his thighs. Nick chuckled and she smirked again.

For the oddest reason neither could stop giggling. She lowered herself to his level. "For some reason I feel like a school girl." She whispered and Nick chuckled.

"Yeah, same here." Nick replied and she raised an eyebrow. "No! Uh…I mean, like a school **boy**. Like a boy…not a girl."

Anna shook her head and lowered herself further. Nick leaned up to meet her height and just before her lips reached his…

"Anna I-" Regan rounded the corner and saw the adults before them. "Oh no! I messed up your first kiss!" Regan cried in despair.

"No Raggs, its okay."

"After how devoted I was to crafting the two of you bashful adults I ended up contradicting all my extensive work! This is such displeasure." Regan finished with a sigh.

Anna smiled and looked at the girl, "Its fine honey."

"No its not."

"Regan…chill pill. Don't freak out because I'm not kissing people. Now, what do you need?"

"I was going to say that I wanted something to eat…in all the commotion we forgot to eat lunch. I would suggest the fish Nick caught, but that wouldn't even feed me." She teased. Anna laughed and Nick frowned.

"Hey, for a three inch fish he put up a big fight." Nick defended and Anna laughed more.

She backed away from Nick and took the little girl's hand. Her knee grazed his thigh and her hand slid down his chest as she got up from Nick. "Let's go get somethin for you to eat. Nick you comin?" Anna asked turning around to look at the flustered man.

"Uh…" He replied in a shaky voice. "No…no I think I'm gonna stay here for a while…" He shifted uncomfortably and repositioned himself on the couch. Anna raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "I've uh…I've got a situation here." He tried to elaborate for the clueless brunette.

"Huh?"

"He means his biological tendencies are working against him and he's obtained the inability to stand without embarrassing himself in front of his Mama." Regan clarified and Anna blushed while nodding.

"Ah. I see." She giggled and tugged on Regan's hand. "We'll bring you back some food." Anna laughed and she and the little girl disappeared through the cabin doors leading out to the deck.

Nick watched them go and moaned while he threw his head into his hands.

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**Lake Mead**

**5:33 p.m.**

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Nick hoisted the sail on the boat to let it take them back to shore. Anna sat and watched his strong arms flexing and glisten in the sun. A shiver ran up her spine and she looked away. She watched the water and the smell of tanning oil and grease hit her.

She watched as a seagull dipped its bill into the lake and pick out fish and water. She felt a tug on her beach pants, and she turned around to see Regan sit next to her and cuddle up to her mid section. Anna slid down and brought the little girl closer, hugging Regan to her stomach and stroking her hair.

Anna once again looked back up at Nick. He had just finished adjusting the sail and he looked down and smiled. He hopped down from the stand he was using and sat down next to Anna. He slung his arm around her and she handed him some grapes that she and Regan had been munching on.

Nick set down the portable radio and flipped it to a station. I'll Be by Edwin McCain began to play and Anna smiled. Nick's arm around her shoulders tightened and she snuggled closer to him.

"My tummy hurts." Regan whined and Anna rolled.

"Geniuses don't whine." Anna teased.

"No, geniuses are inclined no to bellyache because it appears adolescent. Not complaining composes you to be a stereotype mastermind, whining makes you a one-of-a-kind genius…that's the genius of it." Regan corrected and Anna laughed and handed Regan her water bottle.

Anna kissed the top of the girl's head. "You're too much sweetheart."

Regan snuggled closer and buried her nose in Anna's belly button. Bill watched the mother-daughter like interaction and smiled. He remembered how Jillian always was with her kids…she acted that same way. Even if it wasn't her child, any youngster that would approach her, Jillian treated her as her own. It's what made Bill fall in love with her. Anna acted in that same manner. Bill suspected that was what bothered his wife the most, Anna was so much like Jillian and Nick was so much like Bill…they were a perfect match.

Bill looked over at his wife and he saw her reading her novel. Bill slid across the seat and pulled slightly on her shoulders so that she was leaning against him. She looked up and smiled as she brought her hand to his cheek to lower his head to she could give him a kiss. "You know, during all of my evil scheming, I forgot to say I love you." She smiled at him and kissed him again.

"I love you too." He kissed her nose and she laughed. Jill snuggled closer and looked across the deck at her little boy. Though she wouldn't admit it if her life depended on it, he did look happy. But that was only because a beautiful woman was seducing him and Jillian knew it wouldn't be long until the fell into bed. She sighed and shook her head. Although this entire trip was supposed to be about protecting her son, she wanted to focus on her and Bill right now.

Bill smiled and snaked his arms around her waist to hold her tighter. This was how he loved his wife the most…when she wasn't planning wicked schemes.

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**Delmarco Residence**

**7:02 p.m.**

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Anna laid Regan in her bed and she and Nick walked out of the room. It had become their nightly ritual. Regan would fall asleep while doing something; Anna would carry her to her room with Nick opening the doors as they went. Nick pulled back the covers, Anna laid Regan in bed, Nick pulled the covers to the girl's chin, Anna kissed her head, and Nick kissed her head. They'd back out of the room and continued doing whatever they were doing.

Nick snaked his arm around Anna's waist and she chuckled. "Have you asked your parents about watching Regan tomorrow?"

"No…I was planning on asking my Dad tonight, and then leaving him the difficult task of tricking my mother into it too. Not that she doesn't like Regan, she adores her. It's just…"

"She dislikes her because she's related to me."

"No!" Nick quickly objected and turned to face her "That's not it. I told you, she just doesn't take easily to people. It'll take a while, you should have seen it when I was first born, and she didn't wanna be near me or anything." Nick joked to lighten her mood.

"Aw Nick, don't joke like that. That's horrible." She chuckled in a sad tone and shoved him lightly. Nick grabbed her again and they walked down the hallway and rounded their way into the dining room. They rounded the corner and walked into the living room where Jill and Bill were watching television.

"Okay, you take my mother in the kitchen and distract her while I talk to my Dad."

Anna looked at Nick like he just told her she had wings and could fly, she raised her brow, "Yeah, let's do that. And then you can go jump in the lake bare assed and let the snakes see how the like ya."

"Wait, there are snakes in there?" Nick asked nervous and Anna nodded while smirking. "Man…if I'd have known that I'd have never jumped in there after ya." Nick joked and Anna gasped and slapped his arm. Nick flinched and laughed at her child-like antics. He shook his head and walked ahead of her into the living room. "Uh Dad, can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, Mrs. Stokes, can I see you in the kitchen…uh, I need some help with um…something in the kitchen." Anna shrugged and looked at Nick. He shook his head and walked to sit down next to his father. Once he was sure the women were gone he began to talk to his father.

"Dad, I took your advice into consideration and…I decided to ask Anna out on a date."

"Well good son."

"I just need a favor from you and Mama. I need ya'll to watch Regan while Anna and I are out. Anna won't trust her with anyone else. I need you to trick Ma into watching Regan with you."

"Why?"

Nick raised his eyebrow in suspicion. "Don't play dumb, you know as well as I do that Mama doesn't like it when I go out with women."

Bill shifted uncomfortably. Jillian would be pissed if she found out what was going on. But he knew he had to give the kids a fighting chance. Bill sighed. "Alright son. Leave it to me. When are ya'll goin out?"

"Tomorrow night."

"Okay…I'll talk to her then."

"Are you sure you should wait so long?"

"Trust me son, I know how to handle your mother."

Nick laughed and nodded. "Okay Dad."

They both stood and Bill patted his son on the back. "Be careful son…don't hurt her."

"I know Dad; I won't hurt either of them."

Bill nodded. "I know you don't intend to…but sometimes these things can't be prevented."

Nick stopped walking and turned to face his father. "I won't hurt them…I can't."

Bill eyed his son and sighed. Nick was ignorant in the light of relationships. That was to be expected considering the majority of his only lasted one night. Nick turned back around and continued walking until he reached the kitchen where his mother was lecturing Anna about the importance of healthy meals for a child. Anna's nose was scrunched in displeasure and she was obviously annoyed that Jill didn't think Anna could take care of her sister. Nick chuckled and walked over to Anna as he watched his mother carefully seeing how she reacted to their interaction.

Jillian paused for a minuet and looked at the close proximity of Anna and Nick. She looked from his hands and Anna's waist up to Nick's eyes, back down to her waist again. She shook her head and continued her lesson. Anna squeezed nick's hand and he butted into the lesson to save Anna from her Kitchen Hell.

"Mama, why don't you and Daddy go out for some dinner? My treat. We're all kinda tired so we'll probably just fix sandwiches." Nick informed her gesturing between him and Anna. Anna nodded in approval of the idea and Jillian looked at Bill. Bill smiled.

"I think it's a great idea." He replied cheerily.

Jillian eyed him suspiciously, "Okay." She sighed and walked out of the kitchen and into her bedroom. Bill followed her until she was in the room, then he turned around and smiled and winked at the kids. Nick slipped his arm around Anna's shoulders and they both gave him a "thumb's up" sign back.

Bill disappeared into his room and Anna and Nick turned to each other and gave a high-five before crossing paths and going separate ways.

Anna went to her room and closed the door behind her. She laid down on her bed and closed her eyes. She heard a quick knock on her door and sighed softly. She went to the door and saw Nick.

"Want to go somewhere really quick?" Nick questioned and Anna looked back behind her at the shower that was calling her name.

"Aren't your parents going out soon?"

"Mom will be at least another hour. It'll be fast."

"Okay." She walked back to her bed and pulled her white shirt that she had been wearing earlier off it and slid it on. Nick waited at her door and she walked back out to meet him. "Let's go."

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**Stokes Residence**

**7:23 p.m.**

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Anna tentatively walked through Nick's disaster of a house. "Uh, what exactly did you say you needed?"

Nick's voice came from the back of his apartment. "I need some clothes and stuff. I'm barely makin it with what I took from my locker at the lab."

Anna chuckled and looked through the magazines on his kitchen table. A few of them were of Sand and Surf, Car and Driver, and then a few Playboys. She smirked and shook her head. Nick came from the back of his room with a duffle bag. She looked up at him smiling evilly. "Is Nicky not gettin any lovin?" She teased and Nick blushed.

"Uh…no comment." Nick replied and Anna laughed as she stood up from the chair she was sitting in. She smiled as he placed his hand on the small of her back and led her to the door. "Oh Wait! I forgot to get a suit for tomorrow night."

"Oooh! A _suit_! So it's a _nice_ nice place." She clarified and Nick chuckled.

"Which reminds me, we're going shopping tomorrow."

"What? Why?"

"Because I saw your closet, I'm getting you a _nice _nice dress."

"No. I have nice dresses."

"Yes, but not _nice_ nice dresses…if you won't go with me…I can always send my mother with you."

Anna's eyes bulged. "I'll go with you. But I'm paying."

"Anna…"

"Hey, if I don't pay, I don't go." She bargained and Nick sighed in defeat.

"You drive a hard bargain Delmarco." Nick replied, "But okay…if it'll get you to go out on a date with me."

"That's kinda funny…it's like you're bribing me to go out with you."

Nick scrunched his nose. "Yeah…ego goes down ten points." Nick narrated and Anna laughed.

"Sorry. As you can see, I have such a way with words." Anna remarked sarcastically. Nick laughed and pulled her to his chest and kissed the top of her head affectionately. She smiled and stood on her tip toes and kissed his nose. As soon as she pulled away he sneezed and Anna cracked up laughing. Nick blushed deep red and smacked his forehead.

"And as you can see I have such a way with actions." Nick poked fun at himself and Anna smiled. "Sorry, I have a really sensitive nose…the slightest touch makes me sneeze."

"So what were to happen if you were in a fight and someone hit you in the nose?"

Nick paused, "I don't know, that's never happened."

Anna smiled "Oh…"

Nick smiled and shook his head. "Yeah…romantic, I know."

Anna laughed and walked down his hallway and out the door. As soon as they stepped out into the crisp night air they were greeted by the smell of greasy French fires. Anna smiled. "Nice."

Nick's elderly neighbor, Mrs. Jensen-Findel-Walker, sitting on her porch sneaking a smoke. As soon as she saw Nick she tossed the cigarette. "Hello Nicholas. How are you today? I haven't seen you much."

Nick groaned just before they reached within earshot of the woman. "I'm good Mrs. Walker. I've been away for a while. You know smoking'll kill ya right?" Nick drawled. Mrs. Walker waved away his comment.

"Oh, posh, don't preach to me Nicholas, I've seen you sneak a few cigs yourself." Mrs. Walker accused and Nick rolled his eyes.

"Touché."

She sneered and chuckled, "And who is this lovely little flavor of the month you have with you? She isn't one of the norms."

Nick dragged his hand over his face to hide his embarrassment. Anna raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "I'm his friend, Anna Delmarco."

"Well, then I'm sure you're aware of Nicholas' Playboy-Hunk ways." The nosy lady informed her.

Nick gaped at her and Anna stared in amazement. "Excuse me." She couldn't believe how rude and blunt this woman was being.

The woman laughed, "Please, this boy has ridden more things than a five year old at a theme park." Anna's jaw dropped and she glared. Nick's eyes bulged, but he quickly looked to the side in complete and utter human humiliation. Anna shook her head in disbelief. "I mean really, he's like the energizer bunny. He just keeps goin and goin…" She let the remark trail off as she laughed and slapped her knee.

Anna scoffed. "_Excuse me_, but that is **none** of your business. If you took two minuets to actually get to know him instead of judging him just because of his company, you'd get to see that he's a really nice guy." Anna snapped as her accent became thick.

"Pardon me Miss Missy for being keen."

"There's a difference between being keen and just flat out snooping." Anna grabbed Nick's hand and turned abruptly towards his Tahoe. Mrs. Walker watched the young woman in amazement. Anna scoffed as they walked towards the car. "Feisty old Bitch isn't she?" Anna commented once they were out of ear shot. Her accent was in full swing now and Nick smiled.

Nick chuckled in astonishment at Anna's remark. "Anna…"

"What? You're gonna justify what she said about you?" Anna raised her eyebrow in disgust. "There's a difference in being observative, and intrusive." Anna remarked as Nick jogged ahead of her to open her door. She slid in the seat and huffed in disgust of the woman's attitude. Nick climbed in the driver's side and closed the door. He looked over at Anna's pissed off state.

"Hey…" He grabbed her hand gently and turned her chin so she would look at him. "Darlin, why are you so upset over this? It isn't the first time I've been accused of bein a lady's man, and a Playboy-Hunk…why are you upset now?" He drawled and pushed a wavy curl from out of her eye.

She sighed and shook her head and looked out the window. "I don't know. It's just when she said that…I don't like hearing my friends and people I really care about being trashed." She informed him and looked back at him and he smiled. She smiled weakly and shook her head. "Sorry."

"Hey, no, don't apologize Honey, it was sweet." He reassured and she smiled. He brought his hand to her cheek and rubbed it lightly before pulling away and starting the car. Anna smiled as they took off down the road. She couldn't wait for their date tomorrow.

Nick reached over and flipped on the radio and a familiar song filled the car. It was I'll Be by Edwin McCain, the song they had listened to on the boat. Anna smiled and stole a glance at Nick. He was lookin forward but a small smile lingered on his lips. Anna looked back forward and thought about the day's events.

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**Al's Diner **

**Women's Restroom**

**Monday **

**May 9, 2006 **

**8:34 a.m.**

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Anna sighed as she rubbed her eyes. She was called in to work because one of the waitress', Carol, got sick and Anna was the only sub. Nick had gotten up at six and had to run errands, and Anna left shortly thereafter leaving Bill to get Regan off to school. Anna picked up her pad and pen and shoved them in the pockets of her small red apron. She adjusted her white Polo Tee shirt and Black short-shorts. She applied some more lip gloss to shine her lips and fixed her half up half down hairdo before looking at the mirror next to her. Her friend Jennifer Gabbler also fixed her appearance before smiling at Anna. "Ready Annie Lee?"

Anna chuckled at the nickname the had given her. When they asked what her full first name was they all missed pronounced it and called her Annie-Lisa. "Yeah Jenns…I'm ready." They put away their make up and slid their bags in the hidden cabinets in their boss' office. Jennifer walk out to counter of the diner first as Anna grabbed her tray and loaded on her order. The cook behind the small window smiled at her. "Thanks Mac."

Mac was a muscular guy from Brooklyn. He was a bouncer for several years until he was arrested for possession and was sent to prison for five years. He cleaned up and got out and turned his life around. He moved to Vegas to be near his family and stumbled upon the diner by chance.

"Anything for you Annie Lee." He smiled a bright white and she shook her head. Anna walked to the small table of two and gave them their correct orders. She bobbed her head and mouthed the words to the song playing on the speakers of the diner. It was the song by U2, Elevation, and one of Anna's favorites. As she walked back to the counter Jennifer elbowed her.

"Annie he has been after you since you started workin here…four years ago. If a girl turns him down after a week he gives up…you should go for him."

Anna sighed, "Jenns, I'm not into Mac like that."

"No, of course not. Because you don't like nice sweet guys who'll do anything for you…and they just happen to be gorgeous." Jennifer joked and Anna chuckled. "You like self centered ass holes who are so beneath you and that are egotistic jerk…how is Josh by the way?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "Kicked his ass to the curb."

"Good! Thank God! I hated him."

"Hate is a strong word." Anna replied as she wrote down the order and stuck it on the wheel above Mac's window.

"Okay…I **_really_** disliked him…with a passion. So will you go for Mac _now_?"

"No."

"Why!"

"Jenns…I think I might already have someone."

"Good…you need to get laid. I was about ready to take you to Chip and Dales."

"Jen!"

"Oh shush. Now dish!" Jennifer jumped up and down excitedly. She grabbed Anna's hands and squeezed them with joy. Anna rolled her eyes and threw down her pen. She opened her mouth to say something until a man approached the counter.

"Excuse me Miss…"

Jennifer scowled and put up the 'We're closed' sign. "I'm talking." She said as if it was so obvious.

"Jen!" Anna smiled weakly in disbelief. "Sorry about that sir." She took down the sign. "How can I help you?"

"Can I have a menu?"

Anna smiled and handed him one. He smiled back and tipped his hat to Anna and scowled at Jennifer. "Here you go. Have a good day."

Jennifer scoffed and flipped her long blonde pony tail. "Dish. What's he like? Who is he?"

"Well he's-" Anna began until a group of six investigators walked into the diner. They all looked around for a place to sit, and just before their eyes reached Anna she ducked down under the counter. "Ah!" She shrieked. "Like that!" She finished her sentence and curled up n a ball, hugging her tanned legs to her chest as her white Tennis shoes slipped on the floor.

"What? Who?" Jen asked confused. Anna peaked over the counter slightly and ducked down quickly.

"The one in the black Tee shirt and jeans. Ugh, what is he doing here? He's not supposed to be at work."

"Him! He's hott with two 'T's!" Jen exclaimed as the group looked over at her. Anna quickly yanked the blonde down to the floor with her.

"Shush! He'll hear you."

The two waitresses sat on their knees and peeked over the counter at the table where the group sat. Nick was sitting next to Greg and laughing at something Sara had said. "Is he the one with the drawl?"

"Yeah."

"Ooh! You got yourself a cowboy. Nice. Bet that twang's nice in dirty talk."

Anna scoffed, "You're sick."

The two crawled back under the counter. "But it_ is_ right?"

"I wouldn't know."

"Well anyway, go talk to him."

"No."

"Wait, is he the one that's staying with you?"

"Yeah."

"The one that Raggs adores?"

"Yes. He's also the one with the mother who can't stand me."

"Don't sweat it Annie Lee, no Mama can stand her little boy's new chick. Just go talk to him."

"No. He doesn't know I'm working here."

"You didn't tell him you work here?"

"He knows I work here just not today."

"Wait." Jennifer sat on her knees and looked at them all again. Her eyes widened when she realized who it was. "Oh my Gosh! You're dating Nick!"

"How do _you_ know him!"

"They eat here all the time. He and his team come in just as your shift ends. Why don't you want him to see you?"

"Oh yeah, that's great, I'll let him see me in all my blue collar glory." Anna rolled her eyes.

"Actually your collar is white." Jen pointed out and Anna glared.

"Yeah. That's better."

"I can't believe you're dating Nick!"

"I'm not _dating_ Nick!"

"Yes you are! You're dating _Nick_!"

"Yeah?" Nick's drawl came from in front of the counter.

"Oh, apparently if you say someone's name enough they answer." Jennifer joked and Anna swatted her arm and scowled.

"Did someone call me?" Anna's eyes bulged. She motioned for Jennifer to go out and take their orders. Jennifer shook her head and gestured for Anna to do it. Anna shook her head. "Is anyone back there?"

Anna kicked Jennifer out from under the counter. She fell to the floor and Nick looked at her like she was nuts. "Uh…hello. How can I help you?"

"Um…my table needs menus."

"Oh…" Jennifer quickly glanced at Anna and an evil plan formed in her head. "Ya know, I've got another table to wait on so, why don't I get you the other waitress." She quickly lunged at Anna and dragged her up from the counter.

Nick stared in shock but quickly smiled. "Anna."

"Hi." She said embarrassed.

"Um…what were ya'll doin down there?"

"Uh…stuff." She winced at her horrible answer and wondered if he'd buy it.

"I didn't know you were working today." Nick remarked and Anna fixed her apron and grabbed the tray.

"I wasn't supposed to but I got called in…so what's up."

"We need menus."

"Oh right!" She quickly grabbed six menus and walked with Nick to his table. At the sight of her Greg jumped up in excitement.

"Anna!" He hugged her and she blushed and chuckled. Nick pried him off her as she laughed.

"Hi Greg. Hey Everybody." She waved and handed out their menus.

"I didn't know you worked here." Catherine stated as she smiled as Nick tried to help her hand out the menus.

"Yeah." Anna replied and blushed. She swatted Nick's hand away as he continuously tried to help her.

"What?" He asked confused.

"Nicky, it's my job. I don't come in to the lab and start organizing your DNA samples do I?"

Sara smiled at the exchange and she felt Catherine kick her under the table and nod her head concerning their interaction. Sara laughed as Nick reluctantly sat down and let Anna do her job. "So how's Regan?" Sara asked.

Anna smiled. "She's good. She was asking Nick a lot about you all."

They all looked at Nick expectantly. "What did you say?" Grissom asked and Nick laughed nervously.

"Not much…just how great ya'll are." He lied and smiled tensely. Anna laughed and took out her pad.

"What can I get for everybody?" Anna asked very professional and took all their orders. She smiled. "Alright, they'll be ready soon." She walked away unknowingly with Nick hot on her heels. She turned around saw him behind her. "Ah!" She jumped slightly, "Nick, what's wrong with you?"

"I came to see how you were doing…"

"_No_, you came to make me not do my job because its annoying you that I have to do things for myself…now if I wanted to be really mean I could run outside and open all the car doors for myself and not have you help me make the _difficult _trip to the car." She teased and laughed at his pained expression. She laid the menus on the counter and walked behind it to hand Mac her order.

"Table 6's is up." Mac called and smiled at her.

"Thanks." She grabbed the plates and loaded them on her tray. Careful not to spill anything, she circled around the people and chairs delivering plates and cup as she went. A little girl in a high chair dropped her baby doll and Anna knelt down to pick it up. She handed it to the baby and ruffled the girl's hair. Her big blue eyes and bright smile reminded her of Regan, and Anna felt a pang of sorrow, she missed her sister and was counting the minuets until she could go and pick her up. Anna stood up and walked back towards the counter.

She just now realized Nick had been talking to her and she hadn't heard a word he said. She sighed and turned around, "Nick, Hon, I'd love to talk to you…but after work. Its way to busy and I can't pay full attention to you right now. So…"

"Oh…okay. I'll see ya after work." He turned around and walked off but she grabbed his hand and pulled him back towards her.

"Just in time for our date." She replied and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll see ya in a little bit." He smiled and as the song I'll Be by Edwin McCain began to play. They both shared a laugh. "I swear, this song is following us." She laughed and shoved him slightly as he smiled and turned to walk back to the table with a slight spring in his step. Anna chuckled as she turned around and went back to work.

The table watched Nick and Anna and Catherine scoffed. "Oh Hell yeah. Science Geeks of the round table…I think we've found our lobster."

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**Lake Mead High School **

**12:12 p.m.**

**Mrs. Steins' Classroom**

**World History**

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Regan sat in the worst class of her day trying to ignore the blonde Barbie's behind her. They were constantly looking at her, and pointing at her, and laughing. Anna often asked her about her days at school, Regan would lie and make it seem like everything was alright…but Anna could always call her bluff. She had told her that if there were any more problems she would go down to the office and straighten things out.

Regan knew it wouldn't do her any good. They'd just pick on her more. She felt a ball of paper hit her back and the girls behind her snicker. Regan squeezed her eyes shut and focused on the thought of going home to see Nick and Anna and only a few more weeks till summer vacation. "Hey." One of the girls whispered from behind her. "Hey, Baby Einstein, what are the answers for the homework?" She asked and Regan only ignored her. "Is she ignoring me?" She scoffed. "Bitch."

Her friends snickered as the other girl spoke up, "Give us the answers now."

"Come on."

"Seriously…oh…how mature, you're ignoring us. You're such a little brat." They taunted as the head girl, Brittney Rutherford, flipped her long beach blonde hair of her shoulder.

"You know what's mature…actually doing your homework and paying attention in class." Regan whispered behind her and the girls behind her gasped. The dismal bell to lunch rang and Regan quickly hurried out of the class room. If she hurried she could make it to the lunch line first and then head over to the library.

"Hey." The girls from class called from behind Regan. She quickened her pace and ignored them. "Hey! I'm talkin to you squirt." Brittney and her crew caught up with Regan and shoved her into a locker with her perfectly manicured hand. "Listen kid, I rule this school. No joke. Do what I tell you, when I tell you, how I tell you. Got it?" She slammed her high heel strappy sandled foot on the ground. "I said, got it?"

Regan shook her head. "What ever."

She slid past them and walked towards the girl's bathroom to wash her hands and escape The Blondies. She opened the doors and set her books on the counters as she began to wash her hands. Much to her dismay, The Blondies walked in after her, with Brittany scowling. Regan ignored them and continued washing her hands. Brittney walked up to her. "Who the Hell do you think you are?" She whipped Regan around so that she was facing her.

"Leave me alone Brittany." Regan demanded firmly.

"Make me." Brittney shoved her and Regan stumbled back and fell to the ground. The girls laughed as Regan got back up and brushed herself off.

"Don't touch me."

"What're you gonna do? Call your mommy? Oh, that's right. You don't have a mommy. She deserted you and now you have to live with your good for nothing sister. You're probably such a burden to her. Guess they don't like you either. I wonder how long it'll be before she walks out on you too." Brittney had hit a nerve and Regan's eyes welled up. "Aw, did I make the baby cry?"

"Bad Brittney." One of the girls mocked.

They stood their laughing. "Hey girls, maybe we should walk out…just like her mom." Brittney taunted…and that was the last straw.

Regan leapt forward with all of her might and tackled Brittney to the ground. The remaining Blondies gasped in shock as they watched the seven year old and the seventeen year old duke it out. Regan pulled Brittney's hair, Brittney scratched Regan, they screamed, clawed, slapped, and Regan even threw a punch.

The Blondies tried to pry Regan off of Brittney, and they were successful once the teacher got involved. "Both of you to the principal's office…**now**."

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**Lake Mead High School**

**Principal's Office**

**1:04 p.m.**

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Regan fidgeted in her chair while waiting nervously for Anna to arrive. Brittney's parents had already been called and she was taken home and would return tomorrow for her punishment. Regan assumed the POW position; hands under thighs, and sitting hunched over.

The doors opened and Anna appeared in her waitress uniform. Her hair was thrown up in a messy clip, her Polo shirt needed to be straightened, her black cargo shorts had a small ketchup stain on it, her Tennis shoes slipped on the floor, and she was still wearing her apron. She quickly went to Regan and knelt down next to her, Regan breathed in her scent of burnt French fries and grease.

Anna immediately began to check Regan for severe damage. "God Raggs…what happened?" Regan's lip was busted and she had a small scratch on her forehead. Her leg was bandaged from were Brittney's high heel had dug into her and Regan had a slight bruise forming around her eye. But compared to Brittney, she looked just peachy.

"I think I can answer that." Principal Newman remarked from his doorway. "Miss Delmarco I presume."

"Yeah, hi." She shook his hand. "I'm Anna, Regan's sister. What happened?"

"Well, why don't we let the footage do the talking?"

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**1:13 p.m.**

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Nick stood outside the Principal's door while listening in. He had gotten a phone call from a very flustered Anna about twenty minuets ago saying that Regan was in a fight at school. They were already in the office by the time he had gotten there. He listened to Anna's reactions.

"Wow." Anna began shocked and sat back.

"Exactly." The Principal replied and folded his hands.

"Too bad the cameras don't have microphones." Regan mumbled. The Principal sat up angrily.

"No one asked for your opinion young child." He snapped and Regan jumped from his harshness. Anna frowned at the man and turned to Regan.

"What did she say to make you upset?"

"Why do you assume it was Brittney?" The Principal sighed. Anna looked over at him with a disgusted eyebrow raised. Nick winced knowing this guy was testing Anna's limits and Nick was suddenly reminded of Anna's comment earlier about hating having people she cared about degraded and berated.

"Excuse me; I'm talking to my sister to try to get this figured out. And I assume it was Brittney because, 1 you know her by first name, 2 from what I saw she shoved Regan first and taunted her for a good couple minuets before Regan snapped, 3 I know Regan and this isn't her normal behavior, and 4 I went to high school too…I know her type."

Anna looked back at Regan expectantly. "Well…she wouldn't stop bugging me in class-"

"We have no proof of that." Newman interrupted and Anna looked at him shocked.

"Quit interrupting her and let her tell her account. There are two sides to every story."

"And one is normally false." The man countered and Anna narrowed her gaze. Nick chose this moment to burst in before Anna snapped. "Who are you?" The principal demanded.

"I'm Nick Stokes LVPD."

"No one called the police."

"He's with me." Anna retorted sharply. She stood up and walked over to him.

"What happened?" He whispered.

"Regan got into a fight with some high school horror Barbie and beat the crap outta her."

"Is Regan okay?"

"She's got a few cuts and bruises but other than that…"

Nick nodded and Anna and he took a seat. "Can we continue now?" The principal asked and Nick squeezed Anna's hand to keep her from smart mouthing Regan's principal.

"Yes." Nick replied.

"Well, Regan maliciously attacked one of our finest students, Brittney Rutherford, and disrupted the peace of the school's environment. I believe a suspension for Regan is in order."

"What?" Anna asked sitting straight up.

"That isn't fair!" Regan objected.

"Finest student." Anna scoffed. "Maybe with the nicest ass and most expensive rack!" Anna retorted.

"That will be enough! Do I need to call the police?"

"No, there will be no need for that." Nick raised his hands and captured Anna's with his to keep her contained. "I know Regan, and I know she wouldn't fire off like she did unless she was seriously provoked. Now I say we get to the bottom of this scientifically."

"Fine."

"Are there cameras in the classrooms?"

"Yes."

"Well we'll need them. Do they have working microphones?"

"I'm afraid they aren't the best."

"Well I'd like to listen to them anyway. And as for this Brittney girl, I can guarantee you she started this and not Regan. Regan has come home and complained countless times of her and this only appears to be her breaking point." Nick informed him and the principal sat back and sighed.

"Nevertheless, a fight was started…whether verbal or physical; I can only see that Regan should be held responsible. Now that's just my observation as an educator with a Doctrine's degree of human behavior and child psychology." Newman replied smugly.

"You think just because you went to school on how to handle a child with their problem that verifies the fact that you're sitting there boorishly judging a situation you know nothing about?" Anna countered sharply raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I can see where Regan gets her hot headedness from." The Principal mumbled and Anna glared and sat forward quickly.

"Look! You have no idea-" Anna's accent had become extremely thick and Nick barely recognized her voice.

Nick held her back and glowered at the man across from him. "Excuse me, but that is way out of line. Your title is a principal, not a judge. So do your job without insulting Anna, Regan and any other person that walks into this room. Now apologize to both of them or I'll have lawyers crawlin out your ass with a civil suit for harassment." Nick ordered firmly. The Principal sighed in aggravation.

"I apologize Ms Delmarco." He nodded at Anna. "Ms Delmarco." He nodded at Regan.

"And as for the fight, you know damn well that Regan didn't start this. Hell, a blind man could see that. Now drop this bullshit suspension or I'll take it up with school board and then the county, and if I can't get that far, I have ties to some of the most respected judges and public defenders in the greater Las Vegas area and Texas."

The Principal scrunched his nose and picked up his pen and crossed out Regan's suspension. "But if this happens again…I'm taking full action."

"Oh believe me, it won't…I'm going to have a talk with Brittney's parents personally." Anna sneered and stood up. She took Regan's hand and walked out of the room. Nick tipped his baseball cap with the letters 'LVPD' across it at the man.

"Thank you for your time sir." He replied sarcastically and followed Anna out the door.

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**Delmarco Residence**

**3:14 p.m.**

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"Sit." Anna firmly instructed to Regan as she sulked her way to sit on the couch. Regan sighed as Anna threw her apron on the coffee table and Nick cautiously closed the front door behind him. He walked to stand by the couch arm rest so as to appear as support for both girls, but on neither side, nor was he intruding, but could be used if needed. He had learned early on, never get in the middle of two girls fighting, but never completely disappear. Nick folded his arms across his chest and watched Anna take her stance.

"Well…"

"Well what? Why did you get into a fight with Brittney what's-her-face?"

"Because." Regan answered vaguely.

"Because why Regan…give me some answers here."

"Well what do you want me to say?" Regan snapped. And Anna raised her brow in disbelief.

"Something in a civil tone for starters." Anna placed her hands on her hips and stared at Regan. "How about telling me what Brittney said to piss you off so much?"

Regan sighed. "Can we talk about what a jerk the principal was?"

"No…Regan, what she said obviously upset you and I can't help unless you tell me what she said."

Regan looked away and through back on all the cruel things Brittney had said encircle her memory. She took in a breath. "She just questioned my intelligence and…made fun of my age." Regan lied.

Anna surveyed the girl and raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Your intelligence has been doubted before and you get crap all the time because of how young you are…what made this time different?"

"Like Nick said, this was just the breaking point…I couldn't take it anymore."

"Regan, that doesn't sound like you. You're always thinking rationally and you knew you could have just toughed out the next few weeks and then you'd be done…"

Regan shrugged. "I'm sorry Anna, I just snapped." Regan looked back over to the door. "Can I go do my homework?"

Anna paused but nodded and let the girl go. She knew that wasn't the real reason…but she wasn't going to get anything else out of her know. She'd just have to wait until she was ready to talk about it. Anna just hoped that wouldn't be long.

**

* * *

AN: So how pissed were ya'll that Regan interrupted their kiss? I JUST_ HAVE_ TO KNOW! So hit the little purple button and tell me. I know, like only one of the things from the teasers came true. Yes Regan will eventually tell Anna what's wrong, yes Jillian will wreak havoc on Nick and Anna's relationship …and yes their date will be in the next chapter. So ask the question… 'What in the world is gonna go wrong?' Well…** So how pissed were ya'll that Regan interrupted their kiss? I JUST TO KNOW! So hit the little purple button and tell me. I know, like only one of the things from the teasers came true. Yes Regan will eventually tell Anna what's wrong, yes Jillian will wreak havoc on Nick and Anna's relationship …and yes their date will be in the next chapter. So ask the question… 'What in the world is gonna go wrong?' Well… 

R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R PLZ!


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: **Okay, these first few scenes may be hard to follow just because it quickly flicks back and forth between Anna and Nick's date and the insanity between Regan, Bill, and Jillian. Sorry if I lose some of ya'll. Okay, on we go…but just a reminder…I DO NOT OWN JILLIAN STOKES, BILL STOKES, OR NICK STOKES…I do own Anna, Regan, Jennifer, and the restaurant at which Anna and Nick are eating.

Truth be told I've hated having to write how slow Nick and Anna's relationship is. In fact I'm constantly deleting scenes because they'd be moving too fast…and I'm sick of it. Just a heads up for when Nick and Anna do get together, their relationship is gonna take off quick. I'm not sayin there'll be lots of PDA in front of his parents and Regan, but they'll be close…lots of fluff.

Also, I hope ya'll liked Jen from the last chapter because she'll be makin a come back.

And…Nick's two worlds collide…for better…or worse? (Alright, if that's not a cliff hanger I don't know _what_ is!) So…READ PLEASE!

**

* * *

Chapter 7: "That's _so _romantic."**

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**Delmarco Residence**

**Anna's Room**

**Monday May 9, 2004**

**6:23 p.m.**

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Anna adjusted the straps of her fire engine red dress. Her long gold necklace with a tear drop red jewel hit her cleavage just right, and Jennifer had lent Anna her 'Natural Bra' to enhance her cleavage. The dress was a V cut, had spaghetti straps, embroider with barely noticeable gold sequined and sparkled flowers, and hit her just above her knee were the red lace toppled an inch over leaving only lace to cover the last part above her knees. She fixed her gold chandelier earrings and her gold bracelet with red jewels embroider in them.

Anna bent down to adjust the strap of her Steve Madden red mules with gold chain straps connecting the heel cover to the toe cover. She flipped up her straightened hair and pulled it high on her head with a red clip, letting several strands fall freely on her face and neck.

Anna applied more eye liner to create a nighttime Smokey eyed effect. She sprayed perfume on her chest and turned around to face Jennifer and Regan. "Okay, what do you think?"

Jennifer's eyes welled up. "Oh Annie Lee…"

"Okay Jen, I don't look_ that_ good."

"Yeah, you're right." Jennifer teased and Anna swatted her shoulder. Anna had called Jennifer as reinforcement because she had a feeling Jillian wouldn't want to spend that much time with Regan while knowing Nick was on a date with a girl she didn't like. Jennifer was ecstatic when she found out Nick was taking Anna on a date and was thrilled to help Bill baby-sit.

"I think you look beautiful Anna…you're gonna stop him dead in his tracks." Regan complimented. Anna smiled and leaned over to kiss her.

"Thank you Raggs. Now you be good for Bill and Jillian." She leaned over and kissed Jennifer's head too. "And _you_ be good for Regan." She teased. Jennifer swatted her and shoved her towards the door.

"Shush and go on your date already."

She took one last spin in the mirror, "I am so glad I go tan even tan." She remarked and the laughed. Regan handed Anna her purse and Jennifer handed Anna her coat. "Thanks guys."

She walked into the living room, her heels clicking on the tile as she walked. She saw Nick before he saw her. He was wearing a black suit with a black shirt and red tie to match Anna's dress. His buttons on his cuffs were gold and he held a small box and flowers. Anna sucked in a breath and opened the doors that led to the kitchen and living room. He looked over at her quickly and his eyes bulged at the sight of her. He quickly bolted out of his seat and stared at her wide eyed.

"Whoa." He whispered and she smiled. His dad laughed and patted him on the back.

"Why don't you go to her?" His father suggested and Nick robotically walked to meet her. She flashed her perfectly white teeth and Nick grinned widely.

"Hi."

"Hi." Anna giggled.

"You look stunning."

"Thanks. You look really handsome."

Anna looked down at the box, then back up at Nick expectantly. She did this several times and coughed to signal that he was supposed to do something. Jennifer and Regan giggled at Nick's amazement of Anna. "I've never seen Nick so embarrassed and nervous to take a girl out on a date, and trust me, that's a lot of dates." Jennifer whispered to Regan who giggled.

"Son, why don't you give her the box?" Bill suggested.

"Huh? Oh! Yeah, here." He thrust the box at her and Anna shook her head and chuckled.

"Thank you." She pulled open the lid and gasped when she saw the necklace inside. It was a 14K gold chain with a heart shaped locket on it. She looked at Nick and smiled.

"Open the locket." Nick insisted.

Anna raised a playful yet suspicious eyebrow and opened it up. She gasped at the picture in it. It was a picture of Regan with a flower in her hair, smiling at the camera. "Aww." Anna gushed and smiled at him. "Thanks. I'd uh, I'd probably kiss ya or something but I feel like I'm on display at a museum and PDA kinda freaks me out." She joked.

"Oh!" Everybody said at the same time. "Yeah, I've got home work." Regan lied and crawled away to her room.

"I have to go check on Jill." Bill ran to their room.

"And I gotta…I gotta-I…Oh hell I just gotta leave." Jennifer said and walked off towards Anna's bedroom. Anna laughed and looked back at Nick.

"You ready?" He asked her.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Benito's Bistro **

**7:03 p.m.**

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"No." Nick replied shaking his head. "I reserved the candle light balcony not the bar…those aren't even sort of the same thing." Nick sighed and looked behind him to make sure Anna hadn't moved from the bench she was waiting on. She was still sitting there obviously annoyed that the single guy sitting next to her was staring at her legs and constantly hitting on her. Nick sighed. "Please, could you try to get us into the seating I reserved?"

The maître d' sighed. "Fine, I'll try but sir, I cannot make any promises."

Nick smiled. "Thanks. Thank you man, very much." Nick waved and walked towards Anna. He smiled as she stood up.

"Please tell me we can go to our table now…very far away from this creepy guy." Anna gestured to the man staring at her but. Nick looked behind her and scowled at the guy. He coiled back in fear and started fiddling with his thumbs. Anna chuckled and looked back at Nick.

"I promise we'll get our table soon…there was just a mix up in the reservations. As soon as a table opens up we're getting it." Nick replied and Anna nodded. She sat back down and the man from before began to stare at her legs until Nick laid his hand across them protectively.

Anna chuckled, "I remember the last time I ate here; it was a total disaster."

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Delmarco Residence**

**7:21 p.m.**

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"What a total disaster." Jennifer remarked while helping Regan clean up the mess of the Jenga pieces.

"Well, it _is_ Jenga. That's sort of the point of the game." Regan commented.

"To make a mess?"

"No, to practice good hand/eye coordination…and make a mess."

Jennifer chuckled as she shoved the last of the pieces into the box. She looked up at Bill who was reading the newspaper by the light of lamp next to the recliner. "Bill, where's Jillian? I'm about to make diner and I have no idea what she wants to eat."

Bill flipped down the side of the newspaper so he could see Jennifer and Regan. He stood and walked towards the room he and Jillian were staying in. He knocked on the door, "Jillian…Jillian honey?" He opened the door and saw her sitting on the bed with her reading glasses, writing down numbers ferociously. "Jill?"

"Quick, come in here. Close the door."

Bill did as he was told.

"Um, Jen wants to know what you want for dinner."

"I don't care. Look at this." She shoved a paper in his face. "According to my calculations, Nick will be prone to leave her in approximately three days, four hours and twenty-five minuets!" She said excitedly.

"Woo hoo." Bill replied sarcastically. He plopped down on the bed next to her and looked over her work.

"I know. But, it's still not soon enough. So…"

"Here we go." Bill sighed and laid back.

"I have devised a plan…Operation Anna-Termination."

"How original."

"And…for the next three days we are going to make her life a living hell." She crawled towards him.

"Like you weren't already? And what's with this 'we' business?" She pinned him down by his shoulders as he raised a suspicious eyebrow.

"You, me, we. You're gonna help me." She drawled and Bill shook his head and gently pushed his wife off.

"No, oh no. I'm not gonna help you ruin that girls' life who has been nothing but nice and hospitable to you."

Jillian scoffed and rolled off the bed. "Nice…yeah right. You're telling me you don't see those glares she gives me?"

"Uh, you mean the glares you give her? Yes, I see them. I'm not helping with this."

"Hey, our vows said you were supposed to love and honor me…and stand by my side-"

"For richer and poorer, sickness and in health till death do us part. Yeah, I know…I was there. And no where in the vows did I say I promised to help you destroy innocent young girl's lives."

"Innocent? Innocent? Yeah, maybe in Hell."

"Jillian! Now, enough is enough. I've held my tongue long enough. It's time to quit torturing her and have fun on your vacation…we only have three days left."

"Well…these next three days are gonna be Hell."

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Benito's Bistro**

**7:34 p.m.**

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"These last three days have been Hell." Nick commented.

"Well excuse me." Anna joked as she wiped her mouth.

"No! The part with you and Regan the Restless has been great…I mean my parents." Nick clarified and she chuckled. "You think so too, don't deny it."

She laughed. "I'm not bashing your parents on our first date…save it for the second."

"Oh, so there'll be a second?" Nick wiggled his eyebrows and she blushed.

"Moving on…I've been meaning to ask you, why were you out with your team today?" She took a sip of her red wine and looked at Nick.

"Well, I went back out this mornin to set up these reservations and run a few errands, Brass called me about a previous case I had worked, and by the time we had finished they were all headed out to breakfast and they asked if I wanted to go with 'em. I tried callin your cell but ya didn't answer."

"Oh…"

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Something's up…tell me."

"Do you think my job is pathetic?"

"No. Why?"

"Well, you have this great and exciting job and…I've got a fifteen year old's job."

"No…do you watch Friends?"

"Yeah."

"Well, you know Rachel, she was a waitress…and ya'll are about the same age."

"Yeah but…she had just moved to the city, and she only knew Monica and Ross."

"But she didn't have a college education." Nick pointed out.

"I don't either."

"Oh…well she didn't have a kid to support. The point is…you're doing what needs to be done to make ends meet for that little girl who loves you with all her heart. You could be a garbage lady and you would still have a noble job because you're doing what it takes to provide for the one ya love…that's the best job in the world." Nick finished and laid his hand over hers. "Besides, you have fun at your job, I can tell, and you have friends there. They'd support you in anything you do. So why do you care if your job is pathetic?"

"Well your job is like, this low profile, really important job that keeps this city running smoothly."

"So is yours."

She scoffed, "Oh really?"

"Yeah."

"How?"

"Well," He took a sip of wine. "If there wasn't a diner right down the street from the station where would all the police officers eat? Seriously, my friends and I don't eat anywhere else. If you didn't work there a ditzy high school kid could, and then the diner would go to Hell." Nick joked and Anna chocked on her wine while laughing.

"You're so full of it."

"What? It's the truth."

"Nick…"

"Okay, okay. My job isn't all that glamorous, I work constantly, never sleep, never eat, never make contact with another human being, hardly ever see the sun, and I spend 99.9 of my time with dead and decaying corpses. It isn't all that great."

"But…if you didn't have your job you would have never met me." Anna joked.

"Which makes it all worth the while."

"Aww." Anna smiled as Nick's hand flattened hers. Her gaze fell to their hands as she chewed her bottom lip seductively. She stretched her fingers so that they were entwined with his and she brought her gaze back up to his as she smiled. Nick smiled also and leaned in slightly.

"What can I get the two of you for dessert?" The waiter asked as he pulled out his notepad.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Delmarco Residence**

**7:48 p.m.**

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"I want an Oreo Sundae for dessert!" Regan exclaimed as she jumped down from the barstool she had been eating her food at. Jennifer watched her run through the kitchen and put her plate in the sink.

"You're done already?"

"Yeah." She rubbed her stomach. "I love grilled cheese and tomato soup."

Jennifer laughed. "Obviously. Well, why don't you go read a book while I make your Sundae?" Regan bounded off to her room as Jennifer continued to wash down the counters and take out two bowls and spoons. She collected the items she'd need to make a Sundae and set them on the counter. Within a few minuets they were ready. "Regan! Your Sundae is ready!" She called and waited a few minuets. When the little girl didn't appear Jennifer went to go look for her.

She poked her head into the girl's room and saw her asleep on her bed with a book on her face. Jennifer smiled as she picked up the book and set it back on her shelf. She slid Regan beneath the covers and turned off the girl's light. She walked back into the kitchen and picked up the second Sundae and looked up to see the living room. "Hey Bill, you want an ice cream Oreo Sundae?"

He smiled and nodded. She brought it to him and he gladly accepted it. "Where's Regan?"

"Asleep."

"Ah, congratulations, you've tired out the infamous Regan the Restless. You deserve a medal. Nick said he and Anna have to argue with her for twenty minuets to even convince her to get ready for bed."

Jennifer chuckled. "Well, I think she just wants to get to sleep so she can go back to school and finish out the school year. Annie Lee told me that 'horror high school Barbie' as she deemed her is transferring classes because Regan kicked her butt in a fight. So Regan won't have to deal with The Blondies anymore."

"But won't that just make the rest of The Blondies angry? She got their 'leader' in trouble."

Jennifer shook her head and took a bite of her Sundae. "No, girls now, as long as you take out the 'leader' their powerless. They pick a girl and make her head of the group; if she looses a fight or something like that the girls in the group are basically useless. It's like in nature; Annie told me Regan explained it to her as 'The Queen Bee'. Without the queen bee all the other bees die because she is their lifeline. With Brittney out of the picture their just average girls."

She took another bite of her ice cream.

"Oh…whatever happened to just going to school, doing your work, and being friends?"

"It ended as soon as they canceled The Brady Bunch."

Bill chuckled, "Thanks. I don't feel old."

Jennifer chuckled, "Sorry."

"Ah, never mind it…just don't say that to Jillian…she'll kill ya."

"I haven't seen much of Jillian…is she okay?" Jennifer was eager to meet the woman who despised Anna so much. She wanted to see why and if she really was as intimidating and nasty as Anna had said.

"She's feeling a little sun sick from yesterday."

"Oh…" She continued with her ice cream and Bill wondered if Anna had relayed any of suspicions onto Jennifer.

"So how long have you and Anna been friends?"

"About four years. We met when I first moved here. I followed my sister out here and was a showgirl for a while until I decided it wasn't for me. So I walked into this random diner and saw that they were hiring. I walked in the door and slipped on a banana peel."

"Ouch."

"Yeah, can you imagine that? Slipping on a banana peel in six inch stripper heels? It sucked. Well, Annie bandaged me up and recommended me to the boss. He said I'd get the job on one condition."

"What?"

"No stripper shoes."

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Benito's Bistro**

**8:02 p.m.**

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"Whoa! Check out her stripper shoes. How does she walk in those?" Anna stated amazed at the size of the woman's high heels. Nick chuckled and looked behind him.

Nick shook his head. "My question is how can she shake that ass in those?" Anna joked and took a sip of wine. Nick smiled and looked back at her. He heard the band begin to play a familiar song. He smiled and extended his hand to Anna. "Would you like to dance?"

She smiled and looked at the band when she realized the song. It was I'll Be by Edwin McCain. She looked over at his boyish grin and she felt herself melt. He captivated his hand with hers and led her towards the small area provided as a dance floor.

They began to sway to the soft melody of Edwin McCain's voice. Nick placed a random kiss in the crook of her neck and she smiled. She brought him closer to her and Nick's embrace on her tightened. "Sneaky." Anna murmured and Nick chuckled as he whispered,

"You remembered…"

"Yeah, considering this song seems to have followed us for the past two days…and it just happens to be one of my favorite songs."

"Really? What are some other ones?"

"Well…there's Iris by The Googoodolls, and then Be by Jessica Simpson, Because Of You by Kelly Clarkson, Are You Gonna Be My Girl by Jet…I can't think of anymore. What are some of your favorite songs?"

"Uh, well…Where You Are by Rascal Flatts, I Go Back by Kenny Chesney, In Another's Eyes by Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks, The Reason by Hoobastank, and…that's it."

"You sounded like you wanted to say another one." Anna called him on his blunder.

"No." He lied.

"Aw, come on, what is it?"

"Promise not to laugh?"

"Yeah."

He sighed, "Breathe by Faith Hill…she uh…" He blushed. "This is the dumbest thing but…she really loves the guy she's with. And I uh…I kinda want a girl to feel like that about me too." Anna pursed her lips to keep from smiling. "You're laughing."

Anna shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. She sputtered and chocked to keep from laughing. "Uh uh."

"Yes you are."

She began laughing so hard she was crying. She stuck her head on his shoulder and pulled him closer to her. "No." She laughed between gasps for air.

"I knew I shouldn't have told you."

"No, no." She took his face in her hands. "I'm laughing because it's sweet. It shows you're comfortable enough with your sexuality to admit that you liked that kind of song…personally for me that's a turn on."

"Really?" Nick wiggled his eyebrows and Anna rolled her eyes.

"Well it was."

Nick laughed and she rested her head back on his shoulder as the song changed to another slow song. They continued to dance and Nick sighed. "Do you want to go somewhere with me?" Nick asked as he pulled away.

She raised an eyebrow, but when she studied his face she smiled, "Okay." He smiled back and took her hand and laid down the money on their table as they walked out of the restaurant. "Where are we going?"

Nick sighed, "I knew that was comin!"

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Delmarco Residence**

**Bill and Jillian's**

**Guest Room **

**8:15 p.m.**

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"I knew you'd say that!" Jillian exclaimed as she threw her hands in the air and plopped down on the bed.

"I'm not going to bait Anna with Darren. You are out of control. Just leave the poor girl alone."

"No. It is my job as a mother to make sure my son is happy."

"He is. If you'll take two minuets off from plannin you'll be able to see that." He drawled.

"Look, as soon as Nick sees that Anna doesn't really have any feelings for him he'll drop her flat on her big ass."

"Jill," He took his wife by the shoulders gently and looked her in the eye. "You are going insane. You are becoming obsessive compulsive and you need to stop. I'll help you."

She shook her head and wriggled out of grasp. "Bill, I'll leave it alone once he leaves her." She sighed and sat down on the bed. Bill sighed and walked out of the room and into the living room where Jennifer was reading a Cosmopolitan magazine. Bill sighed as he walked past her and through the kitchen, dinning room, and out to the patio in Anna's back yard.

He pulled up a chair and propped his feet up on the table and watched the stars and moon. He pulled a cigar out of his pocket and produced a lighter also. He unwrapped his cigar and lit it. The smoke flitted into the air and blurred the stars from his vision. He wanted badly to tell his son of his wife's plans, but he had promised Jillian he wouldn't.

Basically he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He rubbed his forehead and thought about what schemes his wife was planning. "This week's gone all to Hell."

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Turtle Park**

**Parking Lot**

**8:23 p.m.**

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"Where the Hell are we?" Anna asked frustrated. Nick paid the taxi cab and stepped out of the car after her. They had been driving for what seemed like forever and it was pitch black so Anna couldn't see a thing. She growled in frustration and Nick chuckled as he grabbed her hand and led her towards a small counter…and suddenly Anna realized where she was. "The ice cream counter…you took me to get ice cream?"

"Yep."

"That's _so_ romantic." Anna smiled and kissed his cheek. Nick smiled.

"Two chocolate ice cream cones please." Nick ordered and Anna smiled. He slid the money on the counter and she handed him the cones. "Have a good night."

They walked away and he led her to the swings. Anna laughed. "Awww."

"Well, you know what they say…" He handed her the cone, "You're never too old to swing on the swings. Just please don't jump off this time."

Anna laughed harder and licked the cone. "I think I like this better than the restaurant part…although that was awesome." She smirked and Nick laughed.

"Well, when you've been on as many dates as I have, you learn to get it right." He joked and Anna laughed and swatted his arm. "You see, that's one of the many amazing things about you; if I had said that to any other girl she'd have walked away."

"Well, I'm one of kind Stokes."

"I know, lucky find." He smiled and she grinned.

"Plus, its pitch black and I have no idea where I'm going. I ain't risking tripping in these heels."

"That reminds me," and set his ice cream cone on the small cement space next to the swings and knelt down by Anna's feet. He began to un-strap her sandals and take them off her feet. He held them with his finger and sat back down. "You had a couple drinks of wine and you're lookin kinda tipsy…I don't want you to fall."

Anna smiled. "How considerate of you Mr. Stokes." Anna joked and Nick smiled.

"Hey, my Mama raised me right; I know how to treat a lady."

"Okay, I have a question…now this is kinda personal and third date talk so you don't have to answer it if you don't want to."

"So there will be a _third_ date?"

Anna pursed her lips. "If you answer my question I'll **think** about the **possibility** of a **second **date."

"Really? What's the question?"

"What was your move to get all those women to fall for you?"

Nick laughed, "Um…"

Anna laughed. "Bet that second date ain't sounding so good now, huh?"

"I show 'em my sensitive side, bring out my Southern drawl, and constantly look at her eyes." He answered automatically. Anna laughed.

"Oh my God! That's your _moves_!"

"Hey!" Nick feigned hurt, "I got _you_ didn't I?" Anna scowled playfully and Nick laughed. "Alright little miss hot shot, what's _your _moves?"

"Mine?" She paused. "I don't have any."

"Bull!"

"What?"

"Bull. You gotta have moves. Even _I_ have moves and _look_ at me." He boasted jokingly.

Anna laughed, "I take it you didn't brag around 'em either?"

"Got you didn't I?"

"Ah!" She gaped and tired not to smile at him. "You're so gonna get slapped by the end of this night." She tried to hold a straight face but failed miserably. Truth be told, she was enjoying their banter. He couldn't have been cuter in her eyes.

"Come on, what are your moves?"

She sighed, "Alright…I'll ask… 'Can I borrow your phone?'"

"What! Geez Anna, you're lucky you're friggin hot."

"Nick, come on. I'll ask if I can borrow his phone and…pretend to break up with my boyfriend and…"

"Play the damsel in distress card?"

"Yes. Or, I'll drop my pencil or something." Nick burst out laughing for three minuets straight, and Anna merely rolled her eyes. "Okay," She waited till Nick sat up straight and she dropped her napkin. As she bent down to pick it up she placed her hand on his knee nonchalantly to balance herself. She sat back up and brushed off her napkin as though nothing had happened and he wasn't even there. Still looking forward she replied, "And then I play the 'invisible you're-not-here' card. And I don't acknowledge him unless he makes the first move." She finally looked back over to a very flustered Nick. "See?" She replied smugly.

"Wow."

"I know."

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Delmarco Residence**

**Garage**

**9:16 p.m.**

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"Wow."

"I know."

"I mean** wow**." Bill gaped at the collection of video games in Anna's garage. She had almost five hundred video games, machines, and action figures pertaining to the games all collected in the back room of her garage. "I don't think I've seen this many games even in EB Games."

"Yeah, Anna's a freak for 'em. I don't know why but she absolutely adores them. It's like her thing. I've got gossip magazines, Regan has bugs, and Anna has her games." Jen replied and looked through all the games.

"Nick would freak if he saw this." Bill began to walk around the room and admire all the hundreds of games.

"He loves video games too?"

"Oh yeah…he would spend all the time he wasn't studying and partying in college playing his beloved games. I think he'd have a heart attack if he saw this many games."

Jennifer laughed. "I don't get why they're so great…it could be because I suck at them but…I don't know." The two heard a door open and two different pairs of footsteps. Jennifer laughed. "Okay, sorry to drag you away from this but I think they're back."

She turned off the light and they walked out of the garage and through the side door that led the hallway to the living room. They met up with Anna and Nick in the living room. Anna held up her hand before Jennifer could say anything. "Hang on, since Nick and I are staying in the same house he's walking me to my room and pretending like it's my front door."

"No hokey pokey." Bill warned jokingly.

"Yes hokey pokey." Jennifer joked and Anna and Nick laughed.

"Shut up." Anna shook her head and Nick followed her towards the back of the house. Jen and Bill laughed and Bill went to his room and Jennifer picked up her coat and walked to the front door.

"Bye Annie Lee! Bye Nick! Have fun you two!" She called and Anna's response came from down the hall.

"Go home Jen! I'll pay ya tomorrow!"

"You can pay me in gossip!" She yelled before darting out of the house.

Anna shook her head and stopped at her bedroom door. She turned to face Nick and chuckled. "Thank you for walking me to my door."

"You're welcome. I know there are some whack's out there and I wanted to make sure you were safe." He joked and Anna laughed.

"Well thank you. Now, I don't kiss on the first date…so…good night." She smiled and shook his hand.

Nick chuckled and shook her hand back. "Good night. Sleep well Anna."

She smiled sweetly. "Sleep well Nick."

She turned and went into her room and closed the door as Nick turned and walked down the hallway and disappeared around the corner. She moaned and banged her head slightly on the door. "Should've kissed him." She sighed and set her shoes on the floor and walked away from the door. She had only taken two steps when she heard a soft knock on her door. She turned around and opened it to see Nick with his arm resting on the other half of her French doors. She raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Yes?"

"I know you don't kiss on the first date but technically this isn't our first date. We went out fishing and to the restaurant and the park and…" Nick let his thought trail off as he leaned in and kissed her gently on her lips.

After a few seconds Anna realized what was happening; Nick began to pull away but she grabbed the back of his head and pulled him back to her. His hands found their way to her hips and rested there gently. She kept one hand on the back of his head while the other one roamed over the strong muscles of his back. His grasp on her tightened as he wrapped his arms around her waist and she began to walk backwards leading him through the door. He kicked it shut behind him and she brought her hands to the top of his jacket and slowly pushed it off his shoulders.

He smiled at her. "Geez Anna." He teased and she chuckled as her lips crashed back into his. He pulled back. "What happened to your 'no kissing on the first date' rule?"

"I made an acceptation." She smiled and kissed him lightly. His hands came from her waist up her back and through her hair. She chuckled and he moved his hands and slid them down her shoulders and arms. He loosened his tie and slipped it off his head. She laughed and slid off her bracelet, earrings, and necklace. She reached up and pulled the clip from out of her hair. Her long brown hair toppled over her shoulders and Nick smiled.

"Wow." He replied and she kissed him again. He started walking forward and placed her between him and the wall. She chuckled and Nick smirked. "What?"

She shook her head and brought her arms up and rested them on his shoulders as she played with the ends of his hair. She pulled away and smiled. "What the Hell was in that wine?" She joked and Nick laughed.

"Yeah…that wasn't my typically good night kiss."

"Yeah…me neither."

"Normally we'd skip the kiss and fall right into bed."

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Delmarco Residence **

**Anna's Room**

**Tuesday May 10, 2004**

**7:32 a.m.**

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Anna woke up feeling refreshed and satisfied. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw the soft sun light filter through the blinds and she smiled. She rolled over and stretched her limbs as far as they would go. She sighed and curled back up in a ball.

She opened her eyes again and sat up. She looked around the room and saw clothes strewn about the room. Some were hers and some were Nick's. "Uh oh." She whispered and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She stood up and fixed her plaid boxer shorts and tiny white tee shirt as she grabbed her clip from off the nightstand and pinned her hair up in a clip. She grabbed her robe and slid on her slippers and walked out of her room and down the hall.

She walked into the kitchen where Jen was cooking eggs and Regan, Bill, and Jillian were sitting at counter on the barstools. Jen looked at Anna and smiled. "Hey Hon…you look well rested. Did ya sleep well?" Jen turned back around and finished cooking.

"Uh…yeah. I did. Um, where's Nick?"

"He went back out to run some errands. He said he'd be back a little after 8 so he should be back any minuet." Bill answered. Anna bit her lower lip nervously and walked tentatively to the couch and sat down.

"Anna, you don't look too good…are you okay?" Regan asked.

"Yeah Honey, I'm fine…I just think I had a few too many glasses of wine."

"You were drunk? Was Nick? Did he drive?" Jillian asked worried.

Anna looked over at her and paused before answering. "I wasn't drunk, neither was Nick, and no…we took a cab."

Nick walked in the door and set the bags from CVS down on the counter. Anna smiled weakly at him and he returned it. They were both thinking the same thing… 'What happened last night?'

"I'm gonna eat my eggs outside, who wants to join me?" Jennifer asked.

"I'll go." Regan replied. Bill and Jillian followed. On their way out the door Jillian kissed Bill on the cheek affectionately and Anna smiled as she watched them.

"Uh Nick…did anything happen last night?"

He paused. "I don't think so. I remember you were kind of tipsy from the alcohol…we kissed."

"I don't normally do that on the first date by the way."

"I know…anyway, I think we stopped and you kinda fell asleep. I laid you in your bed and made sure you were okay…I stayed with you for a while to make sure your breathing was even and you woke up and went to the bathroom. You threw up…a lot, and then you took a shower and got dressed, you walked back out and fell back asleep. I think you kinda forgot I was there. So I went back to my room and fell asleep. I'm pretty sure that's what happened. I could be wrong; I was kind of out of it last night, but not enough to try anything."

"Well then why were some of your clothes in my room?"

Nick chuckled and rubbed his forehead. "You uh, you tried to undress me."

She blushed. "Oh…sorry."

Nick chuckled, "Its okay."

"So you're pretty sure nothing happened?"

"Yes."

"Okay…what's in the bag?"

"Oh." he opened it up and produced Advil, Tylenol, Gatorade, a chocolate bar, cappuccino mix, Snickers bar, a golf magazine, a pack of bubble gum, and Cosmopolitan magazine. Anna smiled. "Tylenol or Advil?"

"Advil."

"Good, Tylenol is my morning hang-over fix. Gatorade for me, chocolate for you, Cappuccino mix for mom and dad, Snickers for mom, Golf magazine for dad, Cosmopolitan for Jen, and bubble gum for Regan." He looked up at her and smiled.

"Aw, how thoughtful."

He chuckled and smiled. "So…what's on the agenda for today?"

She sighed. "Work. Carol has the flu. I'm in all week."

Nick sighed, "Oh."

"Sorry. But, if the diner isn't that busy I get to leave early."

Nick moaned and grabbed her hand. She entwined her fingers with his and he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. She chuckled. "When does your shift start?"

"In about an hour."

"Which means you have to leave…"

"In like thirty minuets…I'm dropping Regan off on the way."

"You need a ride?"

Anna shook her head as she stood up. "No, Jen and I are car pooling." Nick frowned slightly and she smiled. "Awww…okay, you can take me to work if you want." She walked over to his chair and stood in front of him. She rested her knee on the space of the chair not covered by his legs. She rested her hands on his shoulders and he set his on her hips.

"Okay." He smiled.

"You just have to promise to leave me at the door. No following me in and trying to keep me from doing my job." Anna warned. "Wait what about your parents…I don't want to leave them here all by themselves."

"What do you think they were doin yesterday?"

"True. Alright, do you have to run any more errands?" He shook his head.

"Nope. What time do you get off work?"

She laughed and pulled away from him. "I haven't even left yet and you wanna know what time I'm gonna be back?" She began to clean up the counter and kitchen and Nick helped her.

"Yes…I have a surprise for you when you get back." She raised her manicured eyebrow and turned to face him.

"Really…" She asked and leaned into him pining him between the counter and her frame. She slid her arms around his waist and smiled seductively. "…what is it?"

Nick dropped his jaw in disbelief and pushed her away playfully. "You are **horrible** when it comes to surprises!" He accused and she giggled.

"Aww, _come on_! Please tell me."

"No." He objected and continued cleaning. She took his arm and turned him towards her again. She pressed her body against his and he laughed. "Anna Delmarco," He began in mock-disapproval. "Using your sexuality in getting your way…I'm **ashamed**." He joked and she chuckled.

"Please tell me."

"Nope."

"Please…just a hint."

"_Nooo_."

"Please?"

"Okay."

"Really?" She asked excited.

"No."

She huffed and swatted his arm. "Pweese?" She asked in a baby voice. He chuckled.

"Using your baby face? That's low…that ain't even right." He drawled and she laughed.

"Come on! Why won't you tell me?"

Nick laughed, "I like to see you squirm."

She rolled her eyes. "I get it…this is payback for not letting you help me **do my job**."

Nick laughed as she wiped down the counter. "Yes Anna, that's it. I'm giving you a surprise as torture for doing your job."

She sighed and set down the hand towel. "Fine…I give up." She walked towards the door in surrender and Nick laughed as he watched her open the sliding door and call out to Regan. "Raggs, honey, time to get ready for school…do you have your book bag packed? Okay." She walked back in and smiled guiltily at Nick. "They've been ready for an hour…they were waiting on me." She shrugged and turned to go into her room. Nick watched her robe flutter behind her and he shook his head as he went outside to join his parents, Jen, and Regan.

He walked out and saw his mom had a thesaurus in her lap and they were all laughing. He raised his brow and looked at his mom. She smiled and explained, "We're testing Regan's knowledge of the English language."

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Nick's Tahoe **

**7:59 a.m.**

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

"I swear Regan you know every word in the English dictionary? Do you spend your summer reading the dictionary?"

"Yes." Anna and Regan answered in unison. Nick shook his head at Jennifer's expression.

"You act like that surprises you Jen." Nick asked looking at her in his rear view mirror. Jennifer made a face and he chuckled and put his eyes back on the rode. Anna laughed and shook her head. Nick looked over at her and smiled and patted her knee.

"When Raggs was four, she would sit with her pen and paper and watch Jeopardy, and she'd write down facts or words or quotes she didn't know, and then after the show she'd Google 'em or look them up in the dictionary." Anna informed Nick.

"Wow." He said and Anna chuckled.

"For her second grade book report she did Hamlet by William Shakespeare, she identified all the themes, controversies, symbols, intense vocabulary, and gave her opinion on Shakespeare's classical form of writing and what she thought the hidden meaning behind his famous works was." Jennifer stated.

"That's when we decided to move her up a 'couple' grades." Anna replied and Nick laughed.

"Okay, okay. Can we get back to studying now?" Regan asked and Anna laughed. She turned slightly and put her leg up so she was comfortable while watching Jennifer and Regan. Nick's hand still rested on her knee and he would occasionally drum his fingers to the beat of the music, tickling Anna.

"Alright…define **execrable."**

**"Inferior; of poor quality; or **abominable." Regan answered.

Jen huffed, "Alright Little Miss Smarty Pants…how about **malcontent?" **

**"Someone **who is discontented or dissatisfied. That was easy."

Jennifer shook her head. "They're_ all_ easy for you." She grunted and Nick chuckled. Regan rolled her eyes and smiled. "Okay…I have a tough one…**aspersion." **

**"**A damaging or derogatory remark, also known as slander. The second definition is sprinkling with water, such as in religious ceremonies."

Jennifer huffed and closed the book. "It's official; you know every word in the English dictionary."

"Anyone have the Spanish dictionary?" Regan asked in all seriousness and Jennifer sighed. Anna pursed her lips to keep from laughing and Nick looked in his rearview mirror and smiled at Regan.

"Oh yeah…you and Grissom will get along just fine."

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**LVPD Crime Lab**

**Grissom's Office**

**9:12 a.m.**

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

"Come on Griss, the two of you'll get along just fine. I promise." Nick pleaded. Grissom sighed and looked over at Sara who was in the chair next to Nick and smirking.

"I think it'd be a good idea." She replied softly and Grissom scowled. She shrugged innocently and he shook his head.

"Nick…she's seven."

"Yeah, a seven year old who happens to be a child prodigy." Nick responded.

"Is Anna even okay with this?"

"Yes…"

"Nick." Grissom replied in a warning tone.

"She is." He insisted. "She's not crazy about the idea but she gave permission."

Grissom sighed. "I don't think having a young child, no matter how smart they are, tour the lab…it could be dangerous."

"No more dangerous than an adult touring the lab." Nick countered and Grissom huffed. Sara ducked her head and pursed her lips to keep from smiling.

"Nick…" he sighed when he saw the look on the young man's face.

"It's not as if she's doing it for a field trip. She's doing a report in biology/life science on entomology. She has dozens of books and is studying to be one herself but I think it'd be great if she could speak with a professional. Do you have any idea how excited she was when I told her she could actually meet you?"

Grissom looked up surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah. She was thrilled."

Grissom paused and thought about the options and consequences. He sighed. "Okay…" Nick and Sara smiled at each other and high-fived "…she can have a tour of the lab. But only with you there, adult supervision constantly, and only if Anna is positive."

"She is…but she has one condition also." Nick paused and Grissom looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "No actual dead bodies."

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Lake Mead High School**

**Mr. Roberts' Class **

**Physical Education**

**Football Field**

**1:46 p.m.**

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

"It's dead!" Christy Brinks screamed in horror. She slowly back away hugging her pom poms to her chest. Several other cheerleaders ran up to their friend and gasped when they saw the body.

"Oh My God!" Another cheerleader screamed and the coach ran up to them.

"What's going on! You're disrupting practice-" He stopped short when he saw the body. "Jesus." He swore and took off his hat; while wiping the sweat from his forehead.

The body of a young man was lying under the bleachers covered by the bushes. His throat had been slashed near decapitation and his limbs were at odd angels.

Regan had been sitting in the bleachers reading some of her books when she heard the commotion and saw the crowd. Ever the good sleuth, she walked up to the crowd and slipped between the people until she saw the body. Her eyes widened and her criminalist skills kicked in. "Stay back everyone. Back up!" She ordered and everyone looked down at her. "Now!" She ordered and they did as they were told. The coach pulled out his cell phone and dialed 9-1-1.

"Listen to the kid. Everyone stay back! Brianna, take Christy o go get some water and take her to the nurse."

"No." Regan objected and the coach looked at her. "She was the first one to see the body. She has to stay here. Does anyone have a water bottle?" Regan asked and someone handed her one. She accepted it and gave it to Christy. "Drink small sips…try not to pass out. Okay, everyone needs to back up at least twenty feet away from the body. And don't touch ANYTHING." She ordered.

The coach helped clear the people out and informed the police on what the situation was. He hung up the phone and walked over to Regan. "I called the police. They're sending someone out."

"Okay, please take the cheerleaders to a shaded area so they'll calm down but keep them within short distance. The CSIs will want to talk to them."

The coach looked at her for a moment. "You're Regan Delmarco aren't you?"

Regan nodded and the coach smirked. "You are smart."

"Thanks."

He nodded as he walked away to where the cheerleaders were. He had heard about her from the teacher's lounge. Some teachers liked her, some didn't. Most didn't because she often corrected their mistakes or asked a lot of questions…to them it seemed annoying. To most it seemed endearing.

"Dude…I think I'm about to be sick." One of the football players announced.

"Not around the body. Go to one of the bathrooms or at least ten yards away." Regan instructed and one of the guy's friends led him away from the scene. Regan cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "Someone with a phone needs to call into the front office!"

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Lake Mead H. S.**

**Hallway**

**2:29 p.m.**

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

"Excuse me, where is the front office?" Sara asked stopping a random student in the hallway. He pointed behind him at the door at the end of the hallway. She looked from it, to him. "Thank you."

Sara glanced behind her and motioned for Greg to follow her. He picked up his pace and trotted along behind her. He looked at her back and sighed. "Are you sure I'm ready for this?"

"No…" Greg's eyes widened in fear, "but you'll be fine. I have faith in you."

"Really?" Greg wiggled his eyebrows at her. "So does this mean you'd have faith in a date?"

"Yes." She replied and Greg's face lit up. "But not with you." She looked behind her and smiled.

"That's cold."

"I know. Now act professional, we're on a case."

"Yes ma'am." He saluted her and she shook her head. Before they went into the office Sara adjusted her dark green long sleeved shirt and smoothed her long brown hair. She pointed to a lone spike sticking out of Greg's hair. He sighed and smoothed it down. She smiled and turned the door knob.

The two of them stepped inside the madness to the flurry of police officers, parents, school board members, and teachers. Sara raised her brow. She brought her finger to her lips and whistled. "Excuse me!" Everyone stopped and looked at the attractive young brunette and the cautious man behind her. "Hi, I need to speak with the principal and Captain Jim Brass…are they in here?"

"Yes." Brass said stepping forward. He walked up to them. "Body's in the field."

"Show me where."

"Wait!" The principal called stepping forward. "No one's going anywhere until I get some answers." He stepped into the small circle the CSIs and detective had formed.

"Sir, as soon as we have answers, you'll have answers. Until then, I can't guarantee you anything."

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Football Field**

**2:35 p.m.**

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Sara, Greg, and Brass crossed the field to where the 419 was located. Sara scanned the crowed as they neared. She stopped when they were within a reasonable distance of the body and she looked around the crowd. "Who was the first on the scene?"

"Me." A girl in a cheerleading uniform stepped forward. She looked as if she had just seen a ghost. Sara looked at her for a moment.

"Hi, I'm Sara Sidle, this is Greg Sanders. We're from the Las Vegas crime lab."

"Greg?" Regan pushed her way through the crowd and saw the older guy. She smiled. "Greg."

He smiled back and stepped towards her and knelt down so he was at her height. "Hey Regan, what's up?"

"Not much…you're workin the case?"

"Not alone, between you and me I'm still a trainee. Sara's mentoring me."

"Sara…Sidle?"

"Yes?" Sara asked turning around. Regan looked up at the woman and smiled. Sara recognized her instantly. "I'm guessing you're Regan?"

"Yes…you're one of Nick's friends."

"Yep. Ya know, I met your sister, she said you liked bugs?"

"No, I love bugs."

Sara smiled. "We actually have an entomologist on his way…"

A smile spread across Regan's face and her eyes lit up. "Really?"

Sara nodded and Brass waving her over caught her eye. She waved back. "I'll talk to ya later Regan. Probably about the body." Sara suddenly remembered Anna's rule of no 'live' viewings of DB's for Regan. She put on a smile and patted Regan's back as she walked over to Brass. "Do me a favor?" She asked. "Would you call Nick…tell him Regan's here. "

"Don't get him worried but let him know what Regan saw." Brass finished for her.

"She saw the body?"

"Yeah, the coach said she was handling it like a professional, 'Like a little officer.' were his exact words."

Sara smirked. "She's a card…"

"Grissom has got to meet her." Brass declared and Sara looked behind her at the young girl sitting on the bleachers, continuing reading her book. Sara looked at the cover and saw it was The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Sara smiled.

"I have a feeling they'll get along just fine." Sara stated and chuckled.

**

* * *

AN: What'd ya think? Let me know. I'll try to get the next chapter up by Wednesday :)**

R&R Please:)


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N**: Just so you know, the investigation of the death at Regan's high school is carrying on into this chapter. But it won't go that in depth because that's not what I'm doing for this book. It will have cases but they won't be the focus. This book focuses on the drama _behind_ the investigation.

**

* * *

Chapter 8: "Speaking of breaking rules…"**

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Al's Diner**

**Tuesday **

**May 10, 2004**

**2:36 p.m.**

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Anna placed her empty tray on the small table by Mac's window and knelt down next to it to pick up her pen and pad. She stood back up and heard snickers coming from behind her. She turned around to see two men smiling deviously at her. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

Mac rang his bell. "Table 2 is up!" He called and ducked back down to continue cooking.

She walked over to him and placed the orders on her tray. He smiled as usual and she returned it blushing. She circled around the counter and tried to ignore the obnoxious men making degrading comments about her. She sighed, but put on a smile and walked over to the table.

"Hi. Sorry about the wait. Alright, grilled cheese and tomato soup with an iced tea, pizza squares; bacon, cheese, pepperoni…" She set the food by the rightful owners. "Cheese burger; no mayo, hold the tomato, with French fries and a diet coke, and a garden salad with water." She finished and flashed a big smile. "Enjoy." She walked back to the counter and sighed. A strand of straight brown hair fell in her face and she pushed it back behind her ear.

"Hey cutie, how about you submit…and take my order." One of them joked. He laughed and did a hand shake with his friend. Anna ignored them.

"Hey. Legs. I know what I want." The second one barked. Anna looked up and glared. She sighed and pulled out her pad and pen.

"What can I get you?"

"How about your legs over easy and a nice piece of ass?" He wiggled his eyebrows and she glared. "Come on sexy…service me." He joked.

"Unless you're actually gonna order something, I suggest you leave." She snapped and focused on ignoring them.

"I did order somethin. You just won't give it to me…hey, come on honey." He grabbed her arm and she looked up in shock.

"Don't touch me." Anna demanded, her accent thick with malcontent.

He yanked her toward him. "Come on."

A strong pair of hands landed on their shoulders and the laughter stopped. The hands turned them and fear struck their faces when they saw the burly police officer. "Hello officer." The young man mocked once the fear had subsided.

Nick glared. "Do either of you know what a sexual harassment suit is…how about you get up close and personal with one?" Their eyes widened and Nick looked up at Anna. "Miss, would you like to file a sexual harassment suit against these two?"

"Ya know officer…I think I would." Anna replied playing along as though she didn't know Nick.

One of the men turned around to face her. "Please, don't. My wife would kill me."

Nick turned them to face him again. "Then I suggest you apologize to the lady, go far _far_ away from here, and don't come back in here." Nick growled; his drawl ten times thicker then normal.

The two young men quickly scurried out of the diner and Anna and Nick watched them go. Once they were out of view Anna smiled at Nick. "Why thank you officer."

"No problem lil' lady." He shook his head in modesty and smiled at her. She blushed and chuckled. "Sorry I broke your rule about staying at my car…I was actually gonna stand at the door and call your cell to ask if I could come in." Nick explained and Anna laughed. "I'm serious. But I uh, I saw them annoying you and then he grabbed your arm…"

"Aww." Anna swooned and cupped the side of his face. "It's okay that you broke my rule…this time."

Nick chuckled and sat down on the barstool. "Speaking of breaking rules…"

"What'd you do?"

Nick chuckled, "Um…how mad would you be if Regan happened to have seen an actual dead body?"

Anna moaned, "Ugh, _Nick_. You _promised_ no dead bodies on the lab tour."

"It wasn't at the lab." Nick stated and Anna raised a confused eyebrow. "She was on the football field during PE and they discovered the dead body of a teenage boy."

"Oh my God. Is she okay?"

Nick nodded, "She's fine. Brass said the coach told him she was out there barkin orders and handlin it like a pro. She kept the people from contaminating the scene." Nick relayed and Anna laid her head in her hands for a moment before looking back up at Nick.

"Are you sure she's okay? She's got a well built façade, despite my best efforts; she can hide things really well."

"I'm sure. She's talkin to Griss." Nick replied nonchalantly.

"Oh no."

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Lake Mead High School**

**Football Field **

**3:08 p.m.**

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

"Yes."

"I knew it." Regan smiled proudly and Grissom turned through the next page of her book. He found another bug and showed it to Regan.

"How about this one?"

Regan studied it for a moment then smiled. "Grylloblattidae. They're most common in cold areas, often in mountains, under rocks, in litter in forests, and in caves. In summer the North American species feed at night on insects frozen on the surface of snow fields; they are somewhat omnivorous."

Grissom nodded and smiled as he continued flipping through the book. Anna and Nick watched from a distance with smiles on their faces. "See…I know what I'm doing."

Anna scoffed, "Alright, but if she starts holing herself up in her room more than often, racing cockroaches, and pushing people she loves away…you're dead." Anna joked and Nick chuckled as they walked towards the duo.

"Burn on Grissom." Nick mumbled while chuckling. "Hey guys." He greeted as they approached them. Regan looked up and smiled at Anna. Grissom looked behind him and stood up tentatively.

"Hello again Ms. Delmarco." He extended his hand and she smiled and shook it.

"Mr. Grissom." She nodded. "So what have you two been up to?"

"Discussing the mating, eating, and nesting habits of various insects through out North and South America and Africa." Regan answered simply.

"Oh." Anna gave Nick a lost look. He shrugged and she looked back over at Regan. "Sounds nice."

Grissom looked at the woman nervously. "I was um…trying to keep her away from the body." He whispered and Anna smiled.

"Thank you."

He smiled proudly and nodded. "You're welcome. Regan is really intelligent."

"So I've heard." Anna joked and Grissom blushed.

"Right…you would know because she's your sister…"

Anna chuckled and Nick smiled. He leaned over to Grissom, "Relax man…she ain't gonna kick your ass because ya'll were near the body."

Grissom raised his eyebrow at Nick and Nick shrugged. Anna kneeled down next to Regan. "You alright Hon?"

Regan nodded, "I was having fun. He showed me one of the bugs that crawled off the body. He couldn't take it off the body because the coroner isn't here yet, but her put it in a container and is waiting to collect the rest. Once the coroner, David, shows up he's going to back to the lab and see how long the body has been here."

"Oh..." Anna looked up at Nick with a lost expression on her adorable face. Nick shrugged again and Anna smiled and looked at Regan. "Okay."

Regan smiled. "It's alright to say you don't know what I'm talking about but by the sound of it you're creeped out."

Anna gave a sweet smile, "Thanks Sweetie…that's a much needed break." She hugged Regan and stood up; as she did so spotted Greg and Sara walking towards them. Anna smiled as Greg picked up his pace and grinned wildly.

"Hi Anna!" He knocked her two steps back with his hug. She laughed and returned it.

"Hi Greg…nice to see you too." He still hadn't let go and she looked over at Nick for assistance. He stepped forward and pried the young man off of her. Sara shook her head and stepped forward to shake Anna's hand.

"Hello Anna, nice to see you again." Sara greeted and Anna flashed a brilliant smile and Sara gave her famous 'gap-toothed smile'. Greg looked at the men standing near him and grabbed his chest as if he was dying. He smiled at the women and shook his head. With the two beautiful women's radiant smiles, in a word, he was bliss. Anna shook her head as she turned around and began to talk to Sara.

This didn't stop Greg's comments, now he was focus on her back side. Nick saw Greg's stare and he reached over and slapped him upside the back of his head. Greg looked at him confused.

Nick and Grissom shook their heads and David walked up towards them. "Hi Everybody. Sorry I'm late Grissom." He looked over at Sara and smiled. She returned it. "Hi Sara." He greeted in about the same bliss as Greg. Sara chuckled and Anna turned around. The two stared at each other in shock.

"David Phillips?" She said smiling.

"Anna Delmarco?" He replied as two grins filled their faces as David wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug.

"David! Oh my **Gosh**!" He let go of her but still stood close to her. Nick glared at the younger man, but didn't seem to see it. "I haven't seen you since- Well…" She let the memory trail off and they both blushed.

"You know David?" Nick asked but they didn't hear him.

"Remember the old guy in the underwear?" David recalled scrunching his face. Anna laughed and shook her head.

"Ugh! I was trying not to!" They shared another laugh.

"How do you two know each other?" Grissom asked. They turned to face him and answer his question, but Regan's shrill cheer of happiness interrupted them.

"David!" She ran towards him and he knelt down to capture her in a hug.

"Raggs!" He hugged her and she hung onto his neck tightly.

"David, you're the coroner _here_?" Regan asked astounded.

"You are? I thought you headed to Boston?" Anna questioned confused. David looked at her and nodded.

"I did, I finished up college and then headed back down here…I tried to find you but uh…I didn't have much luck." David explained and Anna nodded.

"Oh yeah, Jen mentioned that to me."

"You know Jennifer too?" Nick asked and looked at David and he nodded.

"She introduced Annie Lee and I."

"Wait, you call her Annie Lee too? How did you know about that?" Nick asked becoming annoyed that he was out of the loop. He crossed his arms across his chest and narrowed his gaze on David.

"Who's 'Annie Lee'?" Sara asked confused.

"Isn't that what Jennifer calls you Anna?" Greg asked.

"Yes." She answered.

"Again, how do you know about 'Annie Lee'?" Nick inquired, becoming aggravated.

"And what's the story behind it?" Sara asked.

"David was the one that came up with it. Well, he and Jen did." Anna clarified. "When I told my friends at the diner my full name, Annaleesa, they miss pronounced it and called me Annie-Lisa."

"So how is it pronounced?" Grissom asked.

Anna smiled, "Anna-Leez-ah." Grissom nodded and pondered this for a moment.

"What origin is that?" He solicited quizzically.

"Her mother was Greek and her father was Roman/Italian." David answered automatically and Anna smiled at him.

"So back to the nickname thing, I thought Jen came up with that four years ago?" The confused Texan replied.

"She did." David answered, and Nick's intense stare caused him to move his eyes from the Texan to the ground.

"So…"

"So Davy and I kept in touch for a while." Anna put her hands on her hips and narrowed her glare on Nick. "Is that _okay_ with you?" She raised her eyebrow and the group looked between the two and the mounting friction building in their eyes. David shifted uncomfortably; as did Regan who was still in his arms.

"Why wouldn't it be? You didn't have to consult me about any of your other boyfriends." Nick countered.

"You're right, I didn't."

"It doesn't bother me."

"Well if it doesn't then why are you so interested?" She asked in a soft voice…but the edge and irritation was evident.

"I'm not." He rebutted in the same voice Anna had used. "I just don't understand the story, that's all."

"Well now that I've cleared it all up you should be fine." She snapped and Nick's cold brown eyes met and locked with her fierce green ones.

"I'm gonna go take a look at the body." David stated to escape from the tension. "Raggs, why don't you go talk with Officer Brass?" He took Regan by the hand as the adults continued their stare-down.

Anna and Nick didn't acknowledge his withdrawal from the circle they had formed. "I should go take notes." Greg excused himself and scurried off after them.

"Grissom and I need to go." Sara replied lamely.

"We do?" Grissom asked confused. He had no idea of the privacy to argue the young couple required to abstain from embarrassing themselves in public.

"Yes, we do." Sara turned to leave and Grissom followed her.

Nick and Anna were left alone by the bleachers.

"What's your problem?" Anna asked in disbelief.

"_My_ problem?"

"Yes _your_ problem. I was just talking with an old friend and you were being an ass to him."

"Oh so defending you was being an ass?"

"Defending me- from what!" She shouted and drew the attention of a few spectators. Nick looked around and took Anna's hand to lead her to a spot underneath the bleachers. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Anna sighed also in frustration and folded her arms across her chest. "What's up with you Nick?"

Nick was quiet for a moment and then he dragged his gaze up to meet hers. "I…I'm from Texas."

"That's hardly an excuse." He gave a pleading look and she sighed and silenced herself. "Sorry."

"I'm from Texas…and my Mama was protective of her children…she raised us to be that way. Sure she taught us to share but…she always taught us to defend ourselves and the ones we cared about."

Anna paused to make sure he was finished. "Okay…but at what point in the conversation did it occur to you that I might need to be defended? Or were you just running on testosterone from earlier at the diner?"

Nick gave a guilty look. "It didn't. And yes…sort of."

Anna took in a deep breath. "Okay…"

"Well, when she taught us to defend ourselves and the ones we cared about…the lesson was translated into 'be protective and…domineering if need be'."

"Well…if that's the case then we're gonna have problems."

Nick eyes widened and he felt culpability wash over him. /-/ Damnit…Dad warned me about ruining this and I still did. He said I had to be careful. That's all I was trying to do…I didn't want to think about anyone else with Anna…damn the need to dominate. /-/ Nick silently cursed.

"What are you thinking about?" Anna asked knowing the in-depth explanation was still in his mind…she could practically see the wheels in his head turning.

"Nothing."

"Nick…"

"I was just thinking…I had help in deciding to ask you on our date." Nick began and Anna raised her eyebrow. "I talked to my Dad…he warned me not to mess this up. Because it wouldn't only be hurting us…it'd hurt Regan too. As if hurting you wasn't enough to worry about, I would never want to do anything to cause Regan any emotional harm…same for you."

She sighed and shifted her weight to the other foot. "Nick, I know you're gonna mess this up."

A look of sheer pain crossed Nick's face and he felt as though he had just been punched in the gut. "Oh." Nick replied softly. He couldn't remember feeling this betrayed in a long time.

Anna sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, calm down and wipe that looked off your face and let me finish. I know you're gonna mess this up **eventually**, and so will I. We're both gonna screw up and piss the other one off and do something stupid, it's the inevitable."

"It's like Shakespeare says, '_the course of true love never did run smooth_.'" Nick quoted. He had remembered when Brass had commented that to Sara to relieve her pain of another sting from Grissom.

"Exactly, we're both gonna piss each other off and we'll fight, I _doubt_ you'll piss me off enough to were we'll separate for **good**…I think you know what those 'for instances' are." Anna stated and Nick nodded. "So why are you gonna walk on egg shells around me? How did you not know this? You've dated half of Vegas' women."

"Uh…I didn't exactly date them as much as…"

"_Romance_ them." Greg supplied from the bleachers above them. He was sitting next to Grissom, Sara, Brass, Regan, and David…all of whom were listening to the young couple argue.

"Yeah." Nick answered and gestured to the people that sat above them. Anna looked up and rolled her eyes. Nick gave a small smile.

"So that _means_…"

"He basically hasn't had a 'relationship' that's lasted longer than a tic tac. Or a-"

"Thank you Sara." Nick interrupted her and Anna rolled her eyes again. /-/ _Oh no…I'm workin with a newbie…eh, at least he's Southern and has an innate sense of gentleman-ly-ness about him already. _/-/ Anna thought. She sighed and rubbed her head while glancing at Nick's worried face.

"So…I get to teach you then. Lucky for you I like you and I have a lot of patience." She joked and stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. He did the same with her and kissed her forehead.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome…and don't freak out about trying not to piss me off. No offense to you, it will **eventually **happen."

Nick ducked his head quickly but then looked her in the eye once again and nodded. She gave a small yet reassuring smile and he returned it. She laid her head on his chest and he set his chin atop her head. They both sighed, in unison, in satisfaction.

"Awwww." The group above them chorused. Nick and Anna looked up and Nick scowled while Anna chuckled.

Sara looked at the couple below her in conjecture. She smiled, "Nick looks content." She stated absently.

"Did you know that the dictionary defines 'contentment' as '_a state of mind in which one's desires are confined to his lot whatever it may be'_?" Regan asked. Sara looked over at her with an eyebrow raised. Regan didn't meet her gaze, she was still focused on Nick and Anna. "Meaning that 'he's okay with what he has until he finds something better.'"

"Well…I'm never using that word again." Sara joked and Regan chuckled.

"Hey, Regan," Greg began and Sara and Regan looked over at him. "You know a lot of words in the dictionary right?"

Regan shrugged. "I guess."

"**A lot?** _Please_! She knows every word in Websters' Dictionary…we proved it this morning!" Nick shouted.

Greg looked down at them in mock-offense. "_Excuse me_, I'm trying to have a conversation. It's rude to eavesdrop and butt-in." Greg replied mock-pompously. He rolled his eyes and flipped the invisible hair off his shoulder. Sara and Regan chuckled and shook their heads.

A few moments later, a white tennis shoe came flying up from behind the bleachers and hit Greg in the head. He kept a straight face and didn't move at all. Sara and Regan threw themselves into a giggle fit while David, Brass, and Grissom simply laughed and shook their heads.

"I take it my shoe hit Greg?" Anna asked.

"Nice arm girl!" Sara exclaimed.

"You hit Greggo from all the way down there!" Brass questioned in incredulity. "You're very dexterous." He complimented.

"Thank you."

"She used to play softball." David relayed and Brass nodded in realization.

"Hello! Can I get back to my question?" Greg asked and Regan nodded.

"Yes?"

"Alright, if you had to describe me in one word-"

"Zealot." Nick replied.

"Facetious." David supplied.

"Neurotic." Anna answered.

"Distinctive." Sara smiled.

"Infantile." Brass scoffed.

"Wag." Grissom responded

"What?" Anna and Brass chorused.

"What's a 'wag'?" Nick and David asked.

"Did you make that up?" Sara questioned.

"I don't like the sound of that." Greg pouted.

"No, it means a humorous person, a wit, or a joker." Regan informed them all. They looked at her stunned.

"You really _do_ know all the words in the English language don't you?" Greg inquired in astonishment.

Brass scoffed, "You doubted her?"

"Anyway, before I was so **rudely **interrupted…if** you **could describe me in one word, and a nice one, what would it be?" Greg asked.

"Oh gee, a nice word…well that cuts down half my choices." Regan joked. Everyone except Greg laughed. He merely rolled his eyes.

"Ha ha, come on. I'm serious."

"Serious! That sure ain't a word used to describe him!" Brass joked. Everyone laughed again and Greg sighed.

"Please?"

"Okay, okay…if I had to describe you…in one word…it would be…gregarious."

"Ooh! Nice one!" They all complimented.

"Yeah, it explains where he got his name…Greg, gregarious."

"Yeah." They all agreed.

"Why'd you wanna know?" Anna asked. "That sounds like something you'd ask if you were filing out a dating application."

Everyone looked over at Greg as he blushed deep red. They all laughed and mocked him good-naturedly. Anna laughed and looked back to Nick, and his gaze met hers.

She saw the wheels turning in his head and suddenly he smiled. "You thinkin what I'm thinkin?" Nick asked.

Anna bit her lower lip and smiled while looking up at Greg. "I think so."

"Is she off work yet?"

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Al's Diner**

**Tuesday **

**May 10, 2004**

**4:16 p.m.**

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"I'm off work Mac. My shift's over. I'll see ya later hon." Jen informed him as she stepped outside the diner.

"Bye Jens!"

She hooked her purse on her arm and saw Anna and Nick pull up to the curb. "Jens, wanna come over for dinner? Grissom, Sara, Catherine, Warrick, Greg, and Brass are comin over for a get together." Anna asked her friend.

"You're throwing a get together…why?"

Anna shrugged, looked behind her and motioned for Jen to come closer. "Regan made a friend and I wanted her over for diner. But Regan is shy, so if she's surrounded by a bunch of people she's comfortable with she should be fine…plus if the night goes to hell she can always hang out with Dr. Grissom." Anna whispered and Jennifer laughed.

"Okay. I'll be there."

"Great, diner will be ready at six. But you can come over before that to 'socialize' as Nick calls it." Anna replied and Nick rolled his eyes.

"You make it sound like a crazy thing." Nick stated and Anna looked over at him and nodded.

"That's because it is."

"Yeah, Annie Lee never has people in her house…how'd you get her to do it?" Jennifer asked. She looked at their blank faces and got the wrong idea. Jennifer smiled deviously. "Oooohh, I get it. You bribed her." She chuckled. "Nice." Anna rolled her eyes as Nick blushed. "When would be too early to come over…I don't want to walk in on the other half of the bargain."

Anna swatted Jennifer's arm and she laughed. "You got a ride home?" Anna asked.

"Yeah, I got a cab."

"Alright," Anna pulled the car away from the curb. "Don't be late." She warned. Jennifer waved them away and climbed into the cab that had just pulled up.

"Where to?" The cabbie asked.

"1520 Bartow Drive." Jennifer answered as the cabbie pulled away and started their journey.

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**Delmarco Residence**

**Guest Room**

**4:21 p.m.**

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"Jillian," Bill sighed. "I'm drawing the line here. I will not allow this." He gestured with his hands to show his emphasis.

"Bill-"

"Jill, no. I'm putting my foot down. This has to stop."

"Bill, just here me out." Jillian asked sitting down on the comfortable mattress while trying to persuade her husband to agree with her.

"NO. No more."

"Bill, I have to. I have to-"

"Jillian." He said firmly.

She sighed in defeat. "FINE…you can wear a different shirt." She rolled her eyes and threw down her favorite of his shirts, also known as the one he despised the most.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome…you big baby."

Bill rolled his eyes and threw the horrid shirt at her head playfully. She scoffed and ignored him while he chuckled and rummaged through his clothes for something to wear.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Delmarco Residence**

**4:35 p.m.**

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Nick walked into the living room to see Regan sitting in front of the television watching the Discovery Channel. He stopped to see a special about fire ants was on, however; Regan didn't seem to be paying much attention to it. The seven year old seemed to be fretting over something in her own little world. "Regan?" When she didn't answer Nick stepped up to the back of the couch and laid his hand on her head. "Regan?"

"Huh? What?" She turned to face him and he frowned and leaned his elbows over the back of the couch.

"What's wrong lil' lady?"

Regan sighed and turned to face him. "Do you think I'm weird?"

"No." Nick replied automatically.

"Are you sure?"

"100 positive." He answered in a confident tone as he walked around the couch and sat next to her. He put his arm around her shoulders and she cuddled up to his strong side and sighed.

"Nick…"

"Yes sweetheart?" He drawled.

"What if my potential friend doesn't like me?"

Nick chuckled at her wording and paused for a moment, "What is your 'potential' friend's name?"

Regan paused. "Elizabeth." She answered.

"Well you are one lucky girl because it is a proven fact that if you are named Regan and know someone named Elizabeth, the two of you will be friends forever."

"That's crap." Regan accused and Nick chuckled as Regan sat up and looked at him. "Well even if that is true it doesn't matter because that isn't my real name."

"What?"

"That isn't my real name…my real name is Lena-Eyatra. My middle name is Regan."

Nick furred his eyebrows and shifted so that he was fully facing Regan. "Your real name?" Regan nodded and looked at the television again. "Why does Anna call you 'Regan'?"

Regan looked back at Nick and shook her head. "I don't know. I've asked her before but she normally just shrugs it off or answers that she liked the sound of 'Regan' better. She says it sounds more American."

"Why would she want it to sound more American?"

Regan shrugged and Nick watched as the girl went back to sitting next to him, comfortably watching the Discovery Channel. After a few minuets Nick looked over at Regan to see the little girl immersed in the production about the ants. Nick slipped from the couch and began to walk through the house.

He could smell the food Anna had left to cook in the kitchen and he smiled.

He had been searching for Anna when he was stopped by Regan, and now he was continuing his search. He stopped in the dining room and looked around him. He sighed and looked out the sliding doors to see Anna standing on the docks; looking out on the lake.

He smiled and walked to the door and opened it. He walked out across the lawn and opened the fence gate; all the while Anna's form slowly growing larger. He stopped when he reached the sand and kicked off his sandals. He picked them up and continued walking to her. He climbed the dock's ladder and stood at the back of the walkway.

Anna sensed he was behind her and she turned to face him. He felt his breath being taken away as he saw her. She was dressed simply and had a small amount of makeup on…but she looked gorgeous.

Her brown hair was in thick curls as it descended down her back and a lone curl fell into her eye. She had soft makeup on that accented the green of her eyes, the natural blush in her cheeks, and her rosy red lips. She wore a white knit sweater with a slit down the front and half hoodie in the back; covering her baby pink, pearl pink, pink, and white stripe band bottom V-neck top. A flowing knee length pearl pink skirt covered her long legs and her feet were bare with a pearl pink pedicure.

"Wow." Nick replied and she gave a crooked smile. She took her pearl pink manicured finger and pushed the curl from out of her eye and looked at him in a flirty/shy way. Nick felt himself falling…literally.

"Nick!" She yelled as he fell off the docks and landed in the sand beneath them. "Nick!" She yelled again and jumped off the dock and landed next to him. "Are you okay?" She brushed the bangs off his forehead and looked at him worriedly.

He looked at her blankly as though he didn't know how he had gotten down there. Suddenly, he began to laugh. She looked at him for a moment, and then joined in on the senselessness. The laughter died down and Nick looked at her for a moment. "I think I fell head over feet for you." He said in awe and gave a small, crooked smile.

She gave one back and quickly looked at his lips, but then back to his eyes. An air of seriousness covered them and Anna leaned down, and Nick pushed himself slightly up. Their lips locked and Nick felt himself falling…figuratively.

It was a small, simple kiss…but it rocked Nick's world. She pulled slightly and gave a smile with her eyes still closed. Nick opened his eyes and looked at her as her eyes slowly opened. "Whoa."

Nick smiled wider, "I know."

"That wasn't like a make out kiss, but…"

"It was awesome." She finished.

"Yeah." Nick breathed and she laughed.

"Hmm." She looked behind her at the sunset and the gentle hum of the soft rolling waves, the soft sand beneath them. Nick breathed in her scent…vanilla. "I think maybe it's the scenery."

"Or maybe it's that you smell _so_ good." Nick moaned and she chuckled.

"Maybe…but how would_ my_ scent do anything for me?"

"Hmm…good point…maybe it's my sexiness." Nick said thoughtfully and she swatted his arm. "Yes…defiantly my sexiness."

"But once again, how would your sexiness do anything for you?"

"Well…" He gestured to himself. "How could this not make ya…?" He wiggled his eyebrows and she shoved him slightly.

"Shut up." She laughed.

"Make me." He teased and she leaned in and kissed him gently. She pulled away and smiled.

"Now we both know you set that kiss up. Always a planner Stokes?" She questioned flirty and he cocked his head.

"Always an observer Delmarco?"

"Yes." A woman's voice answered and the pair looked up to see Jennifer. "Now, I know I said have fun…but I meant in the privacy of Anna's house…out of sight. I know Nick's cocky and loves to show himself off, no pun intended. And let's be realistic, he's hot, you're hot…but I mean come on!"

They laughed as Anna stood up, "Trust me…he knows he's hot."

Nick laughed and stood up. "How could he not?" Jen joked and Anna smirked…suddenly realization hit her.

"Jen…is Nick the sexy graveyard hunk you wanted to, and I quote, 'cover in chocolate syrup and ravage on top of the diner's tables.'…?" Anna asked as Jennifer turned beat red as Nick's jaw dropped and he blushed a lovely shade of rouge. Anna laughed at their expressions and shook her head as she walked away. Nick couldn't look Jen in the eye as he followed Anna into her house.

Anna walked through the dinning room and into the kitchen. She glanced towards the living room and saw Regan on the couch. She caught Regan's eye and she looked over and smiled. Anna returned it and opened the oven to check on the food. "Hey…whacha doin Toots?"

"Just watchin television."

"Are you ready for dinner?"

"You mean I have to dress nice?"

Anna chuckled. "Well save your fancy gown for the Pope, but something nice would be good."

"Alright." Regan answered and got up off the couch to go and change. Anna kissed her head as she walked by. Regan smiled and Anna continued cooking. Nick folded his arms across his chest lazily as he leaned against the refrigerator and watched the display of affection.

"Awww. How sweet." He mocked and Anna chuckled. "Need any help?"

"Nope…why don't you go watch television?"

Nick smiled and puffed out his chest. "Yes, because that's the manly thing to do." He mocked in a deep baritone voice. Anna chuckled as he walked to the couch and flipped the station to football.

After a few minuets Nick wandered back into the kitchen and leaned on the island and watched Anna cook. She went about her ways until she felt someone staring at her. She turned around to see Nick leaning on the counter, watching her intently. She smiled at him and put her hands on her hips and cocked her head. "Why aren't you watching football?"

"I don't wanna." Nick whined in a little kid's voice. Anna chuckled.

"Aww." She walked over to him and he slid his arms around her waist and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Did you get lonely all the way in the living room?" She joked and Nick pouted and nodded. "Aww…my poor baby."

He chuckled and shook his head. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and sighed. She giggled profusely and pulled away from him. He smiled and looked at her confused. "What?"

"I have an abnormally ticklish neck. That's why I always wear my hair up; the slightest touch sends me into a fit of giggles." She informed him and he approached her again and began kissing the ticklish spot on her neck. She arched her back and tried to push him away, but failed because he was sucking the strength from her as he kissed her neck. She laughed, and giggled, and screamed playfully as Nick held her closer and began to breathe heavily and kiss and lick her neck. "Ahhhh! Oh my GOD that tickles!" She gasped between fits of giggles. "Stop!" She pleaded and Nick shook his head which only tickled her more. She continued to try and wiggle from his grasp but the tickling didn't stop. Until she accidentally kneed him…

There.

She gasped in horror and Nick sucked in a breath in pain. His face went red and he released her. He fell to his knees and she knelt next to him. "Oh my God Nick! I am **soooo** sorry!"

He bit his lip to keep from screaming profanities for fear of embarrassing Anna, alerting Regan and disgracing his mother. He grunted a barley audible, "Its okay."

"Oh my GOD! I'm sorry!" She sat there not knowing what to do and Nick sighed, his face still beat red. He sighed after a few minuets and looked up to her guilty face. "I am_ so_ sorry." She breathed.

He shook his head. "It's fine." He tried to stand up but winced in pain.

"No it's not! You can't even stand."

"Yes I can." Nick lied and tried to stand…he finally fell and gasped.

"No you can't!"

He sighed, "Ugh…I'll be fine…this is happened before."

"Has it been this bad?"

"Um….no."

"Oh, Nicky." She whined and he shook his head, the pain had almost subsided…if he was still.

"Darlin I'm fine. I promise…I'll just be here for a few minuets." She pouted guiltily and he sighed. "Darlin…"

She sighed. "Okay…I'm sorry…I didn't mean to break Little Nicky."

"Nah, you didn't break him. He'll be okay…but I may need to exercise him." He wiggled his eyebrows and she gave a playful glare.

"Wow, you must be dizzy and disoriented if your thinkin that." She joked.

"Oh, good burn."

"Thank you."

"Well…I think I can stand." He put his hand on the edge of the counter and tried to pull himself up. It took him a few minuets and Anna's assistance, but he finally stood and sighed. "See…all better."

She gave an uncertain look and he smiled at her and leaned in to kiss her. She still had her arms across her chest, but she gave up and wrapped them around his neck. His hand came off the counter and found its way to the small of her back and eased her closer. He brought his other arm around her waist and held her to him.

The kiss was more passionate then the one they had shared outside, her lips parted and allowed his tongue access. She toyed with the ends of his hair and smiled slightly. He pulled away and looked at her. "What?"

She smiled and shook her head, "You were serious about that 'exercise' thing huh?"

Nick chuckled and shook his head. "No, I was jokin with ya."

"Uh huh." She joked; pretending as though she didn't believe him.

"Seriously, oh come on. If you were lookin at your lips all day long you'd want to kiss them constantly too." He replied and she giggled. She leaned in again and kissed him. This one copied the first. Nick pulled away and smiled accusingly. "I knew you couldn't resist me." He joked and rolled his eyes as though he couldn't help his sexiness. "I'm sorry, 'I'd turn down my sexiness…but I just don't know how!'" He quoted.

She gasped and smiled. "You watch That 70's Show too!"

"Guilty."

"You sounded just like Kelso when you said that."

"Except with a drawl."

"Which made it even sexier." She wiggled her eyebrows and he smiled.

"I knew it. You can't resist my body. 'I'm sorry you have to see me like this, I know this shirt compliments my muscles.'" Nick continued to joke.

She laughed and shoved him playfully. "Seriously, you sound just like him."

"Yeah…but I'm truly an Eric at heart."

"Really?" She asked and moved closer.

"Uh huh. A Star Wars lovin, next door neighbor crushin, geek."

Anna laughed, "You have a crush on Mrs. Jensen-Findel-Walker?"

"No! I mean right now…your room is right next to mine."

"Oh…I was gonna say, and you're not a lanky geek."

"Alright…I'm like Eric's personality with Kelso's body."

"A dangerous combination." She joked. "Well I'm Donna's personality with Jackie's body."

"Naw, you're ass is** much** nicer…and I'm not just sayin that."

She laughed. "Well thank you. Isn't that funny…our personalities match the characters on the show and our looks do too."

"Yeah…it's almost like someone planned it like that." Nick replied.

"Yeah…like this was a book someone was writing and she randomly planned this…and hundreds of people were reading this and laughing…"

"Yeah…wouldn't that be funny." Nick thought.

"Yes. Well, go and get ready because everyone should be here soon."

"Yes ma'am." He saluted her and trotted off to the room he was staying in. Anna shook her head and went back to cooking.

**

* * *

A/N: Yes, it's very OOC for Grissom, Brass, and David to neglect the case and hang out on the bleachers while spying on Anna and Nick. But hey, it's my book and I'll do as I please:) :) :) Just kidding…but not really.**

And I know, I know. Anna and David…weird huh? But hey, gotta love the twists.

Yes Jillian and Bill were arguing about what shirt he was going to wear. Yes I intended it like that. And no…Jill's not gonna be nice to Anna any time soon. In fact…we've just begun. But be honest, how irritated were you when ya'll thought Bill was gonna make Jill be nice and stop torturing Anna…and they were talkin about shirts? What, did you think I'd let her off the hook that easy? Heck no. We've got a lot more to go my Little Miracles (ba dum bum).

And yeah, the last scene was a joke…it wasn't that funny…but it made Tigger and I laugh, so I kept it in there.

Moreover…new couples are peeking their noses over the horizon of the story and emerging from the gray…who are they? Will they make it? How will it affect everyone? Well read and find out. But first…

Furthermore…our little couple's relationship is up for a few bricks in the road of their journey. To quote Shakespeare, _The course of true love never did run smooth._

Also, some secrets are revealed about several characters…and someone else knows just how to tweak those nerves and make them uncomfortable about those secrets.

There will be a surprise appearance from _someone_ mentioned in Chapter 4 (and now you're gonna flip back to the other chapter to see who ya'll forgot about…) …Oh the madness to follow…

FYI! I have a new chapter book starting up soon. Keep an eye out for it:)

-Chella Belle

**R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&R&&R&R&!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Just FYI, Nick's a horndog in this (for explanation of the phrase read the chapter) so I'm upping the rating to PG-13…cause they kinda make out and I'm careful :) Plus there's violence but you'll read that later…

There will be a few twists and little surprises in this chapter. Some old friends show up, new friends are made, old problems are discussed…hence the title, _out with the old, in with the new._

Also…there will be a surprise appearance from _someone_ mentioned in Chapter 4 (and now you're gonna flip back to the other chapter to see who ya'll forgot about…) …Oh the madness to follow…

**

* * *

Chapter 9: "Out with the old, in with the new."**

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**Delmarco Residence**

**Tuesday May 10, 2004**

**4:51 p.m.**

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Finally realizing what time it was, Nick stood up from the couch and stretched. He walked away from the living in search of Anna. He saw her walking out of her bedroom…looking even more beautiful than before. Nick could see her low cut shirt, with the necklace that he'd gotten her hanging there. He saw her shoes and smiled. "Do you have a shoe fetish…because you change your shoes more than anyone else I know?"

She smirked and shook her head, her brown curls bouncing as she did. "No, and for your information I was barefoot earlier."

Nick chuckled and shook his head. "You look beautiful either way." She blushed and ducked her head. "Oh, I forgot to ask you earlier…" He walked over to her and entwined his fingers with hers. He looked into her Amazon Green eyes and smiled. "Anna Delmarco, would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?"

She chuckled. "I kinda thought I already was."

"Well pretty much, but I wanted to make it official."

"Aww." Anna smiled and bit her bottom lip flirtatiously. Nick felt himself swoon, and he leaned in to gently kiss her. She pushed herself up on her tip toes and gladly receipted the kiss. She pulled away and smiled at him. His hands found hers and they entwined while she talked. "People are coming," He gave her another quick kiss, "You don't want them-" He kissed her again. "Walking in-" Another kiss, "On us kissing-" He snatched her up and gave her a long and passionate kiss and he pulled away smiling. "Do you?"

Nick rested his forehead against hers while planting soft kisses on her nose. "Screw everyone else." he brought his hands to cup her face while her hands rested on his forearms.

Anna chuckled and shook her head, "Man, and here I thought I was the one you wanted to screw, you're very ambitious."

Nick chuckled and slid one hand under her chin so he could kiss her again. She raised herself up and met him halfway. His index finger stayed under her chin while his thumb gently stroked her cheek. She pulled back smiling at him. "You are…and I am…but not in that area."

"Oh yeah, not what I heard Mr. Playboy."

"Hey." He feigned offense and she laughed. She pushed him away laughed and began to walk to the oven to pull out the Chicken. She set it on the counter and pulled the Vegetarian friendly food from the oven as well. Sara, as well as Jennifer and David were all vegetarians, but agreed to sit at the same table as meat as long as they didn't have to partake in the consumption of it.

Nick smiled as he watched her and he felt himself, once more, falling…figuratively, and hard.

Anna turned around to see him smile at her and she blushed. "What?" She asked curios and he shook his head.

"Nothing?"

"No, what?"

"It's nothing."

"Liar…tell me." She slipped her arms around his waist seductively and he laughed.

"Are you gonna do that every time I don't tell you somethin?" He asked.

"Yeah." She answered and leaned up to kiss him. Her lips grazed his, planting soft kisses, but then she gradually pressed harder and more passionately. His tongue begged entrance to her mouth, and she parted her lips to allow him in.

She sucked in a breath as his hands moved from the counter, to her back, to the small of her back, to her ass. She brought her hand up and brushed it over his hair and let it fall slowly down the back of his neck, tickling and enticing him at the same time. She let out a soft, barely audible moan and he felt himself being pushed over the edge. He brought his hands back up to her back and pressed her to him tighter. Desperately needing to feel her against him.

She pulled her body away, smiling deviously. He gaped at her. "You. Are. Evil." He stated. She chuckled, and slid her body against his again.

"Will you tell me now?" She asked in a soft, throaty voice. Nick felt a chill course through him at the sound of her seductive voice. He moaned and she brought her face only inches away from his.

"No."

"Fine." She said simply and pushed him away playfully. He growled playfully and she chuckled.

"You're mean Ms. Delmarco." He huffed like a little kid. She laughed and shook her head.

"That doesn't work with Regan and it won't work with you."

"She does that?"

"Not anymore…she used to until she discovered reverse psychology."

"When was that?"

Anna chuckled. "When she was five."

Nick laughed and shook his head. "Well…I'm gonna go get ready."

"You're not ready! I told you to get ready an hour ago!"

Nick chuckled, "Chill out _Mom_, I'm going to wash my hands."

"Okay. And _where is_ your mother?" Anna asked curious.

"Dad said they had to go pick up the wine for tonight and sparkling water for the kids."

Anna nodded and went back to preparing the meals. Nick stopped in the doorway and watched her for the longest time. She never turned around, only said, "Unless you're gonna tell me why you're watchin me I suggest you leave."

"Gone."

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**Regan's Room**

**5:13 p.m.**

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Regan stood in front of her bed and looked over each outfit skeptically. She sighed and decided to resort to some outside help. "Anna!" She called, and soon the sound of her high heels clicking on the tile and smacking the carpet sounded.

A knock sounded. "Raggs?"

"Come on in." Anna appeared in the girl's room and smiled. "I need help. Which outfit do you like better?"

"Hmm." Anna said and stood behind Regan and put her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Well, I like the purple skort and white flower shirt."

"Hmmm…I wasn't so sure about that one."

"Well let's get a guy's opinion. Nick!" Anna called and he was there in a flash.

"Are you okay?"

Anna and Regan chuckled. "We're fine. We just need your help with an outfit."

Nick nodded and walked in the already open door. "Anna, he won't wanna do this, he's a guy."

"Hey, I grew up with five sisters and my mother…this doesn't bother me."

Anna laughed. "See? Okay, so which outfit do you like better?"

Nick put his hands on Anna's hips, stood behind her, and looked over her shoulder at the outfits on the bed. "Hmm…I like the striped green shirt and jeans."

Nick answered and Regan nodded. "Wow…we all agreed on different outfits…that doesn't help at all."

Anna chuckled and ruffled the girl's hair. "So play eney-miney-minie-moe…that's what I do."

Nick and Regan looked at her like she was nuts. "Do you really?" Nick asked and she elbowed him lightly in the stomach.

"Hey, don't judge. I got you to fall for me didn't I?"

"Who said I've fallen?" Nick lied and she nodded.

"True…"

Nick smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Hello…lovely dovey adults, I still need help."

Nick looked at the bed and with one swift movement; he cleared the bed of all the clothes and replaced it with a different outfit from the closet. "Out with the old…in with the new."

The girls examined the outfit and nodded. "Not bad." Anna nodded approvingly.

"I like it. Thanks Nick." Regan smiled and shushed the two adults out the door.

Anna turned to Nick and pouted. "I helped too." She said in a baby voice.

Nick chuckled and slung his arm over her shoulders. "And you did a good job." He replied as though he was complimenting a two year old. "Good job."

Anna laughed and stopped at the dining room table. She began to adjust plates and rearrange the silver wear. Nick looked at her butt and smiled. "Nick, I can see your reflection in the mirror." She turned around to face his blushing cheeks. "And I must say, you are a horndog tonight." '

Nick laughed. "What the Hell's a horndog?"

"Don't tell me you've never been called a horndog."

Nick nodded. "Does that mean I'm excessively horny?"

Anna laughed and nodded, "Like a dog in heat."

"Well, when dogs are in heat they give off a particular scent that makes dogs of the opposite sex attracted to them…are you attracted to me Anna?" He asked backing her against the chair that her hands were resting on. Her hands were behind her back, and holding on to the top of the chair. Nick pressed himself against her and slid his hands from her shoulders, down her arms, to holding her hands down; pinning her between him and the chair.

Anna smiled, "You do know that female dogs are the ones that go through heat, and the scent they give off attracts male dogs right?" Anna asked as Nick's face took on a look of disgust and he pulled away. "So, when you agree with me, you were saying you're a horny bitch, otherwise known as a female dog, which is hot for a male dog, a mutt?" Anna finished and Nick frowned.

"The ultimate rainstorm over the pitched tent."

Anna laughed, "What?"

Nick laughed. "I said the ultimate rainstorm over the pitched tent. Also known as the ultimate anti-boner." Nick whispered.

"Oh…the pitched tent is the…yeah, okay I got it." She laughed and shook her head. "And then the rainstorm is what I said…okay, I get it."

She nodded and turned her attention back to the silver wear. "Are you OCD?"

Anna laughed. "Probably. But that comes from having a seven-year-old genius as a roommate, with no icky, messy, boys around." She poked Nick in the stomach and he laughed.

Nick nodded and helped her set the table. Once the pair finished Nick smiled at her. "What else do you want me to do?"

She thought about it and looked around to see if everything was done. She walked into the kitchen and looked around. "Nope. We're all set."

"Good." Nick took her hand. "Come snuggle with me."

She eyed him playfully and he rolled his eyes and held up his right hand as a peace sign, "Boy Scouts honor I won't try to cop a feel."

She chuckled. "I was actually wondering why a guy wants to cuddle, that's a first…but thanks for the reassurance." She smiled and Nick smirked. "You were a Boy Scout? Aww." She brought her hand up to cup his cheek affectionately. "Does that mean you could build me a house with just a tooth pick and a scrunchi?" Anna joked.

"Yes." He joked back and she chuckled.

"Good to know."

"Are you swooning?"

She laughed. "Am I _what_?"

"Swooning." Nick answered and Anna raised her eyebrow. "Do you feel yourself falling for me? Am I sweeping you off your feet? Am I making you never wanna leave my side?" Nick asked dramatically.

"Well now that you mention it…" She leaned in for a kiss but the sound of tiny footsteps tore their attention away from each other.

Regan saw what was about to happen and she dropped her jaw. "I did it again!"

Anna and Nick laughed. "Raggs, its fine." Anna said as Nick wrapped his arm around her waist.

"No, it isn't! I'll never forgive myself! I-" She stopped her yelling and looked at the two adults. "Why do I notice a small lack of sexual tension?" Anna looked at Nick, and Nick looked at Anna. Their faces were blank…but their eyes told the story. Regan's face lit up. "You've already kissed!"

Anna chuckled and Nick ran a tired hand over his face. "Go play Raggs." Anna instructed while chuckling.

"Have you two consummated the relationship yet?"

"Regan!" Anna screamed in horror. "Inappropriate!"

"What! I'm young and curios!" She defended.

"You're seven."

"With the mind of a seventeen year old…"

Anna moaned. "Don't remind me. _Please_ go watch Barney and be a **little kid**."

Regan sighed. "Can I at least watch the Discovery Channel?"

Anna turned around and looked at Nick, "Does the Discovery Channel have anything biological on it? Like 'birds and the bees'?" Nick shook his head and Anna faced Regan. "Yes."

Regan smiled at her while nodding. "Alright…but Anna…we need to have a talk about the 'birds and the bees' later."

"Out!" Anna instructed firmly. She turned around mortified to look at Nick's blushing face. "I am so sorry."

Nick waved his hand. "Nah, it's fine." He laughed. "I was a seven year old little sibling myself."

She gasped. "Did you ask your siblings that?"

Nick laughed. "Maybe…"

She swatted his arm. "Bad Nicky."

He shrugged and trotted to the couch, while holding her hand and taking her with him. He sat down on the couch and pulled her down with him. They both fell sideways and Nick laid behind her with his arm draped across her waist, with his other arm under his head, extending over the arm rest. Anna let one hand lay under her head, while the other one found Nick's hand around her waist and entwined fingers with it.

Nick picked up the remote and handed it to her. "Your choice." She smiled and began flipping through the channels. She landed on baseball. She handed him the remote and he pushed it away. "You can hold it, and watch what you want."

She smiled. "This is what I want. I love baseball."

"I know, I just wanted to make sure you weren't puttin it on here for me." Nick smiled and Anna scooted closer to him.

"Please…I don't like ya that much Stokes." Nick smirked and went after the sensitive spot on her neck. Her began kissing it and she squealed and laughed with joy. "Ahhh! Stop!" Nick immediately stopped and laid his head back down. "Why'd you stop?" Anna asked confused while glancing over her shoulder shortly.

"You said stop."

She furred her manicured eyebrows and laid her head back down. "I said stop before, when you did it the first time."

"Because I was just tickling you and everyone yells stop when they're tickling someone…this time I was kissing you." Nick explained.

"But I didn't want you to stop."

"Well than why'd you say it? That's like the international word for a guy to stop? Didn't you know that? What about your other boyfriends?"

She didn't respond.

"Anna?"

"What?" She asked as though she didn't know where this was going.

"What about your other boyfriends?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know what? Anna…" He brought his hand to her tiny waist and turned her towards him. He looked in her eyes and he could tell by the look on her face that she didn't want to talk about it. He rolled her back onto her other side so she could continued watching baseball.

"Don't give me that look." She said softly.

"What look?"

"That look." She turned to face him. "Don't do that."

Nick sighed. "I just wanted-"

"But I don't." She cut him off sharply and he sighed again and snuggled closer to her. His arm went around her waist tighter to show he was sorry, and her hold on his hand tightened, signally she was sorry too. Nick smiled into her hair and kissed the top of her head.

She smiled and squeezed his hand. "Thank you." She said.

Nick nodded. "You're Welcome."

Though she never clarified what she was thanking him for, Nick knew…for not pressuring her, for caring about her, stopping when she said stop; even if she didn't mean it, and for respecting her. Nick smiled wider and looked at her while she didn't know he was watching her…that was when he loved watching her the most…

He could see the real Anna…

No cover ups.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Warrick's Tahoe**

**5:24 p.m.**

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

"Would you quit with the cover up? You look fine." He reassured Catherine.

"I'm not worried about looking fine, I'm worried about this massive hickey you gave me." She grumbled and Warrick laughed. She sighed and closed the compact and sat back in her seat. They had just dropped Lindsey off at her friend's house for the night. Catherine had wished that the girl would've come to the dinner…but she knew it wouldn't end well.

"You're thinkin about Linds." Warrick stated more than asked and she looked over at him shocked. He chuckled. "You made your 'Lindsey' face. Whenever you think about her you look out the window, bite your upper lip and constantly flip your hair off you shoulder. And occasionally you fur your eyebrows together..."

Catherine sighed. "I really wanted her to come to this tonight."

"I know you did, but you knew that if you would have forced it she would've purposely messed it up."

"I know. But I still want her there. She's slipping from me Warrick…just like I slipped from my mother." Warrick reached over and grabbed her hand, giving it a supportive squeeze.

"She won't slip."

"How do you know?"

Warrick paused a minute. "You know how they say fight fire with fire?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, Lindsey is just like you…while you look at that as a bad thing it's actually not. Yes, the two of you butt-heads constantly, you both are stubborn, and you act the same. But she's also passionate, and caring, and smart. Just like you. You know the road and choices it takes to end up where you did…so you can use that to your advantage and block those paths."

"What do you mean?"

"Tough Love." He answered. "You know she's not gonna agree with you, whatever you do just because she's so much like you and you're her mother. So why fight it? Use tough love to shape her into the person you know she can be."

"But it's like you said…she's just like me, and she knows how to get under my skin."

"Yeah, but that's why I'm here. I can help."

"It's gonna be tough."

Warrick chuckled. "That's why they call it 'tough love'." Catherine chuckled.

"What if you decide it's not worth it?"

"I won't." He said and turned to see the uncertainty in her eyes. "I've let too many people slip through my hands in the past…I'm not planning on letting two more get away. I'm in for the long haul." he kissed her head as he pulled into Anna's driveway.

"Wow, you see the stubborn side of me would feel compelled to ask if you were sure we were in the right place…but the geek parade on the front lawn made me have faith in you." She joked and Warrick chuckled as they got out of the car. They walked up to the crowd sitting on the front lawn. Grissom, Sara, Greg, Brass, and David were already there.

"Hey." Catherine greeted. "Why isn't anyone going inside?"

"The house is locked and no one has a key." Sara answered.

"No one answered?" Warrick asked.

"Yes, Anna came to the door and told us to come in but we decided to lock ourselves outside instead." Greg joked and Sara slapped him upside the back of the head. He moaned but smiled when he saw a car pull up.

"Who is that?" Brass asked.

"Isn't that Nick's parents?" Warrick said.

Sure enough, Jillian and Bill Stokes stepped out of the car and walked up to the group on the front lawn. "Hello…we're Nick's parents. I'm Bill and this is Jillian."

"Hello." Everyone greeted.

"Why isn't anyone going inside?" Jillian asked.

"We're locked out." David informed them.

"Do you have a key by any chance?" Greg questioned.

"No…why would we?" Jillian questioned.

"Well I just figured because Nick's staying here he'd give you guys a key-Ow! Why'd you pinch me!" Greg looked over at Sara accusingly and she rolled her eyes. Jillian shot a death glare at Greg. Everyone was surprised but Sara. Regan had relayed her suspicion of Jillian not liking Anna and tryin to break her and Nick up earlier that day, so Sara was prepared.

"Nick doesn't live here. He lives at his house, he just didn't have enough room for us there and Anna didn't want us to stay in a hotel so the-"

"Nice and kind young woman offered to let us stay with her." Bill finished to keep his wife from saying anything mean. Catherine and Sara shared a knowing look. Sara knew Catherine would be the first to figure out Nick's mother's true feelings about Anna. Catherine had been in Anna's positions many times before.

"Yes…nice." Jillian said and put on a fake smile. Soon, another car drove up and Jennifer stepped out.

"Hey Mr. Stokes, Mrs. Stokes, and…everyone from the nightshift. I don't know your name though." She said looking at Brass.

"Hello, I'm James Brass. Everyone calls me Brass."

"Well hi, I'm Jennifer Gabbler. Everyone calls me Jennifer Gabbler." She joked and several people laughed.

"I bet you know me." A familiar voice said. She looked past Brass at the assistant coroner.

"David!" She squealed and rushed to give him a hug. "Oh my GOD! I haven't seen you since you got back from Boston!"

"I remember. I've been busy at the morgue."

"You work in Vegas? I thought you just came back to see Annie-Lee?"

"Who's Annie-Lee?" Catherine asked.

"And how do you know Jen?" Warrick questioned.

"Yeah, David, how do you know Anna?" Jillian asked.

"Annie-Lee is our nickname for Anna." Jennifer said.

"It's a long story." Sara stated.

"How do you know?" Catherine asked.

"I heard it earlier today."

"Who else knows?" Several people raised their hands. "What don't I know?"

"So Annie-Lee is Anna?" Bill asked confused.

"Okay, Annie-Lee is mine and David's nickname for Anna because we miss pronounced her name, David and I know each other form a vegetarian convention."

"I met my friend Melissa at one of those." Sara stated.

"They actually have Vegetarian conventions? Weird." Greg replied.

"You go to Star Trek conventions." Sara pointed out and Greg nodded.

"True."

Everyone was quiet for a moment, trying to comprehend what had brought up Star Wars. "Okay, anyways…I introduced David to Anna and they dated for about a year."

"You dated Anna?" Jillian asked and David nodded. Jillian smiled evilly and looked at Bill, who sighed exasperated. Sara looked at Catherine and raised her brow. Catherine merely shrugged and listened to the story.

"David reluctantly left her and Regan to go to Boston for school, the came back here when he finished to find her, but couldn't."

"So I decided to wait for her and became a coroner at the LVPD crime lab." David finished. "We finally met up earlier today on a case at Regan's school."

"Why was the crime lab at Regan's school?" Jillian asked.

"They found a dead body."

"Oh my GOD!" Bill exclaimed.

"She's fine. Grissom and she talked about bugs for the longest time." Sara said.

"Wow."

"So that's the story."

They were all quiet for a moment until Jennifer asked. "Question, um…why are we all outside?"

"The house is locked." Grissom said.

"Guess it's lucky I have a key huh?" Jennifer pulled a key from her pocket and smiled. "Wait, David what about your key?"

Everyone turned to him angrily. "**You** have a **key**?"

He blushed. "I left it at home…Oops." He chuckled and Jennifer shook her head. She unlocked the door and the large group of 10 filed into the house and looked around.

"Wow."

"It's beautiful."

"This is nice."

"Damn."

"It's even bigger than I remember."

Everyone was amazed by the house, and Jennifer walked into the living room and stopped abruptly. "Awwww." She whispered grabbing everyone's attention.

Everyone came forward to see what was so cute. Once they did everyone replied in unison; "Awwwwww."

Nick and Anna had fallen asleep on the couch, him spooning her, holding her tightly to him. His arm was wrapped protectively around her waist and they were holding hands with fingers entwined. His other hand was laying in her hair, falling limp as he had fallen asleep. "Look, he let her hold the remote." Sara pointed out and everyone 'Awwwww'd again.

"I have to get a picture." Jennifer said and Sara, Catherine, Jennifer and Jillian; despite herself, all took out their phones and started snapping pictures.

Greg took out his phone and snapped a few pictures. Warrick looked at him confused. "Why are you taking pictures?"

Greg nodded smiling deviously. "Black mail."

"Nice Nick, pick baseball to watch **then** give her the remote." Catherine scoffed.

"Nope. That's something Anna would watch." David replied and several chuckles were heard. Suddenly Anna rolled onto her other side, facing Nick and snuggled into his chest. His grasp on her tightened and, on cue, an "Awwwwww." was heard.

"Nick?" Anna said startling everyone.

"Yeah?"

"Do we have to get up?" Anna asked as neither of them opened their eyes. Everyone laughed.

"Well, considering we're surrounded by hungry hyenas…I'd say yes."

Anna moaned in displeasure as the couple opened their eyes and looked at the group surrounding them. "Morning sunshine." Warrick joked at Nick and he chuckled. "How long have you two been awake."

"Since 'Awwwwww.'" Nick answered.

"Which one?"

"Last one." Anna replied and sat up. She offered Nick her hand and helped him up. "How long were you watching us?"

"Only a few minutes." Sara replied.

"Why? Did something go on that we shouldn't have seen?" Jen asked wiggling her eyebrows. A few snickers could be heard and Anna rolled her eyes.

"You do realize Nick's parents are here?"

"Well I didn't remember that until now. I'm sorry Mr. and Mrs. Stokes." Jen apologized and blushed.

Anna chuckled but then looked around confused. "Where's Regan?" Anna asked and went off to the back portion of the house. She went to Regan's door and knocked on it. "Regan?" There was no answer. "Regan?" She knocked again and opened the door. She poked her head in, but went into the room fully when she saw no one was in there. She felt her heart beat quicken, but tried to calm herself down.

She turned around and came face to face with David. She gasped and clutched her chest. "David!" She shrieked.

"I'm sorry!" he said quickly and grabbed her arm. "I'm sorry."

She sighed. "Was Regan outside with you?"

David shook his head. "No. Why?" David furred his eyebrows together.

"Anna?" Nick asked and poked his head in the room. "David." he nodded. "Anna what's wrong?" He saw the distraught look on her face.

"Nothing…"

"Liar."

Anna sighed and pushed past them to see the guests in the living room, kitchen, parlor, and dining room. She put on a face and smiled at everyone. "Excuse me everybody. I have to go take care of something. Help yourself to the appetizers set out and make yourselves comfortable, I'll be right back." She replied and walked back to Nick and David. "Okay, don't alert anyone because she could just be in the backyard. David, will you check the front yard, but go around the back way because I don't want anyone to see and get worries, Nick can you look through the backyard, and I'm gonna check around the lake."

They all nodded and dispersed through the sliding doors, and David departed from them. "Anna, do you think she could have gone for a walk along the docks and…I hate to say it but…what if she…I don't know…"

Anna looked over at Nick and glared in disbelief. "What the Hell Nick? W-wh-why would you even say that! What could possibly be going through your mind as to make you think that's okay? Why would you say that?" She asked again and Nick turned to her feeling sorry.

"I'm sorry Anna, I just…I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking and…" Anna turned away and sighed. "I've seen that kinda thing before and-"

"Nick!"

"I'm sorry! I just don't want you to be unprepared."

Anna moaned and looked away from Nick. "Well thank you. Thank you very much. Now am I not only worried I'm paranoid I may never see her alive again! But hey at least I'm prepared!" She replied sarcastically and shook her head.

Nick sighed and looked over at her, she let her hair fall in front of her face and he saw her swipe a tear away. "Aw, Anna…Baby, I'm sorry." He pulled her into a comforting hug. "Sshh, baby, please don't cry. I'm sorry. Darlin please…we'll find her." He ran his hands up and down her back. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset you. Please don't cry."

David walked up to them. "Sorry guys, no sign of her in the front yard." He looked at Anna wiping her eyes and Nick's guilty face. "What'd you do to her?" He asked Nick accusingly.

"Nothing." Anna replied. "He didn't do anything."

"Then why are you crying?"

"No reason, okay, everyone needs to search the lake. It's a big area and we can be more efficient with more of us there…"

They began looking around the docks and around the pits of sea grass. But she was no where to be found. Nick broke away and began searching on his own. No footprints could be found, the plants were undisturbed, no small traces of evidence, no loose hairs, barrettes, nothing. Which told Nick one thing.

Regan didn't want to be found.

Nick looked up and saw a small cave like form and he smiled. "The Fortress." He stood up and walked to the small cave and poked his head in. "My Princess, may I enter?"

He asked reciting what he had been taught.

"Enter at thine own risk though I cannot be held responsible for the tragedies you endure Nube."

Nick moaned as he made his way in The Fortress. "I'm still a Nube?"

"The Queen hasn't made her choice yet…but you're pretty much in considering the fact that you're dating her."

"Yeah…so I'm dating The Queen…does that make me The King?"

"Well kinda, but that can't be your name."

"Why?"

"Because it's David's name." Nick felt a pang of jealousy strike through him. Nick didn't respond and Regan looked over at him. "Don't worry Nick. She doesn't have feelings for him."

"Maybe not…but she has history."

"So."

"So…he knows everything about her, about you…hell, he's known you since you were like three."

"So, Anna's crazy about you. And yeah, she used to be crazy about David…but **that's **history. **That's** their history. What are you like, scared that she's gonna leave you for him?"

Nick sighed, "I don't know."

"Well I do, and she won't. She cares Nick." Regan reassured. Nick looked at Regan.

"Why'd you leave the house and come here Regan? Anna's worried sick about you."

Regan sighed. "I didn't mean for her to worry. I figured she'd be so busy with dinner that she'd not notice I was missing."

Nick furred his brows and shook his head. He scooted closer to her and she sat next to him. "What in the world would make you think that? Has that ever happened before?" Nick asked finding I t hard to believe.

"No…but ya know, there's a first time for everything."

Nick shook his head. "Anna loves you and cares about you Regan…of course she'd notice if you were missing…but you still haven't answered my question. Why are you hiding?"

She sighed. "I didn't want to have to deal with everybody."

"Now I know that's a lie, you're a social butterfly."

"Well…"

"What about Elizabeth? Were you just gonna leave her there with a bunch of people she didn't know?"

"She's not coming…she called while you and Anna were asleep on the couch. She said she wasn't able to come."

"Raggs…I'm sorry. Did she say why?"

She nodded. "Her cooler friends decided they wanted to have a slumber party…she wanted to hang out with them instead."

Nick frowned and shook his head. "Regan, she isn't a true friend then. Do you really want someone who isn't your friend to be your friend?"

"No. But I'm Anna's social butterfly. I used to always make friends…till I got into high school. The kids just got meaner and meaner with each grade I skipped."

"Did you ever think maybe because they're jealous?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want people who are jealous of you and just using you to be your friend?" Nick asked and Regan shook her head. Nick put his around her shoulders and comforted her. "Regan, she obviously wasn't a true friend. And frankly she doesn't deserve your friendship."

"But what other friend options do I have?"

"Go back to the playground and try again…except this time, don't try to impress them with your knowledge of quantum physics, be a kid."

"You want me to play dumb?"

"No, no…just, try toning down the genius vibe. It's probably intimidating the kids." He suggested and Regan nodded.

"I could try."

"Are you okay kiddo?" She nodded and gave a small, embarrassed smile. He ruffled her hair and smiled. "Good. Now let's get out there before we give Anna a heart attack. She's too young to die of cardiac arrest."

Regan chuckled and the two of them crawled out from The Fortress to see Anna running towards them. She scooped up Regan in her arms and held her tight. "Anna…you're cutting of my air supply." Regan squeaked and she loosed her grip but still kept her close.

"Serves you right for scaring me like that." She joked dryly and set the girl down, kneeling next to her. "Honey, why'd you take off?"

"No reason…I just wanted to play in The Fortress." Regan lied.

Anna eyed her suspiciously. "You never play in The Fortress alone. If you go in The Fortress alone you do it to hide or think…I can't believe I didn't think of that earlier." She remarked to David. "Why'd you really go in there?"

Regan shifted her eyes to Nick as if a cue to cut in. "Uh, the guests are still waiting. Raggs, why don't you and David go back to the house and Anna and I will be up shortly. They watched them go and Anna turned to Nick.

"What do you know that I don't?" Nick smiled and opened his mouth to say something but she held up her hand. "Regarding Regan."

"Her friend called while we were asleep on the couch and said she was hanging out with her cooler friends instead."

Anna scoffed. "Little bitch."

"Anna." Nick said warningly and she rolled her eyes. "Anyway, she was embarrassed and didn't want to have to face everybody so she decided to go and hide in The Fortress." Nick informed her and Anna sighed.

"Okay…now how come she wouldn't tell me that? And why'd she lie to me? I hate being lied to."

Nick shrugged. "I don't know. Let's just go back up to the party." Nick suggested and Anna nodded. He slung his arm around her shoulders. Nick reached over and brushed a curl from her face and kissed her cheek. She turned to him and smiled sweetly. He kissed her softly on the lips. His lips brushed hers, and then he slowly pecked her lips. She felt herself melt and she leaned up and kissed him, opening her mouth slightly. Nick put his hand between her shoulder blades and the other was slightly below it. He hands cupped his face and held him to her un-forcefully.

Nick heard her sigh in pleasure and he smiled. They pulled away and Nick scooped her up in his arms and held her like a bride. "Ahhh! Nick! What are you doing!" She laughed and he merely smiled. He leaned into her and kissed her sweetly.

"I'm carrying you to the party." He replied simply. She laughed and slung her arm around his shoulder and opened the sliding door with the other one. Everybody looked up at them and chuckled.

"Don't tell me the two of you eloped while you were out there." Catherine stated smiling.

Anna chuckled. "No." Nick set her back down on her feet.

"So…" Sara asked wanting to know the reason for Nick's peculiar and happy behavior…besides the obvious one standing right next to him.

"I felt like carrying her in." Nick said as if it was so obvious. Anna chuckled as did everyone else…but Jillian. She rolled her eyes and went to refill her glass of wine.

"Okay, everyone, help yourself, the food is in the kitchen, eat in any of the rooms you want, make yourselves comfortable, and socialize. Ya here that Grissom?" Anna joked and Grissom rolled his eyes.

They all laughed, including Jillian, and Anna opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by the doorbell. She looked around curiously, everyone was already here. "Oh! Jillian, that must be the guest you invited." Anna smiled. Bill and Nick turned to Jillian. Bill raised an eyebrow, but it suddenly dawned on him.

"Jill…did you invite-"

"I'll get it." Anna said. Nick stopped her.

"You didn't tell me my mom invited someone."

"I didn't?" Anna asked perplexed and Nick shook his head. "Oh…well don't worry…you know him."

"Him?"

"Yeah…"

"I know him?"

"That's what your mom said as they continued walking through the house. The doorbell sounded again. "Coming!" Anna called and the two didn't notice as the group slowly began following them. Anna opened the door to a tall, dark, and handsome man. "Hi, I'm Anna Delmarco." She extended her hand. He looked her over and brought her hand to his lips.

"Hello Miss." He drawled. Catherine, Sara, Jennifer, and Anna all felt themselves blush and go weak at the knees. "I'm Darren Milane." The three other women rushed forward to shake his hand rattling off their names. He gave a crooked smile. "Nice to meet ya ladies."

"Come on in." Anna invited and moved aside to let him in. He watched her as he stepped into the house.

"Nick Stokes." He said smiling.

Nick narrowed his gaze. "Darren…how've you been?" He asked sounding less than interested.

"I've been good." He answered absently as he watched Anna talk to the other women. Nick followed his gaze and subconsciously puffed out his chest and tightened his jaw.

Jillian stepped forward. "Darren, how was the flight?" She asked and smiled.

"Mrs. Stokes, you grow more gracious and poised each time I see you." He smiled and kissed her hand. "And thank you for asking, the flight was fine."

"So Darren, what are you doin in Vegas?" Nick asked his accent ten times thicker.

"I'm here on business." He lied, and Nick could see it in his eyes.

Bill stepped forward and shook the young man's hand. He knew why Jillian had invited him…and he wasn't happy about it. "Hello Darren, nice to see you."

"You too sir." Darren said pleasantly. Nick had met Darren during his bachelor days in Texas, Nick needed someone to cruise for girls with and Darren was that guy. They were friends until Nick caught his girlfriend cheating on him with Darren. They hadn't spoken much since. "Well, something sure smells delicious." He drawled.

Anna turned around. "That's the food. You're welcome to help yourself." She said nicely. Nick looked over and saw Darren's smile as he watched Anna.

"Thank you ma'am. Can I get a plate for you?"

Anna chuckled and shook her head. "No, I can get it myself."

"Please, I insist. You've made all this delicious food by yourself," He said glancing at Nick insinuating he hadn't helped. "Let me get you a plate."

"Well thank you Mr. Milane-"

"Darren."

She smiled. "Darren, I'm fine. Nicky helped me cook." She said gesturing to Nick and smiling at him.

Darren turned around to Jillian stunned. "Mrs. Stokes! When did you house-train this boy?" He joked and Everyone but Nick and Bill laughed. "Last time I saw him he was eatin cold peas from a can. Boy couldn't work a microwave to save his life!"

"Well he must've been trained for a while, because he cooked dinner for us all last night, and the night before that." Regan chimed, appearing from behind Sara.

Darren turned to her and smiled. "Well hello little girl, what's your name?"

Anna stepped forward. "This is my little sister Regan."

"Well…I can see good looks run hereditary in this family. She's a beautiful little girl. And her sister's gorgeous." Darren complimented. Anna looked over at Nick in worry and he took a step towards Darren. Anna rushed over and stood in front of Nick and held his hand.

"Well thank you sir. Regan," She signaled to the girl. Regan's arms were crossed over her chest and she rolled her eyes.

"Thank you." She said.

Jennifer, Sara, and Catherine all pouted. "Why does she get all the cowboys?" Sara whispered.

"No fair." Catherine grumbled.

"Hey, you've got someone, a babe let me mind you, save the pouting for the single chicks." Jennifer joked.

"Are Anna and Nick dating or courting?" Catherine asked.

"I think they're dating." Jennifer replied.

"Uh oh." Sara said. "Nicky's got a jealousy gene the size of Texas."

"He almost beat the shit out of someone for touchin his girlfriend's ass when he first got here." Catherine explained.

"Uh oh. I can already tell this is gonna be an eventful party." Jennifer stated.

Catherine scoffed, "Are any of them with night shift involved not?"

Bill leaned over to Jillian. "I told you not to invite him…if Nick and him get into it…"

"They won't."

"Hey Rick," Greg whispered. "Isn't Nick easily jealous?"

Warrick sighed. "Yeah."

Grissom shook his head. "He better not get into it. When he first came it was excused because he was new…now…"

"Don't worry Gil; I don't think Anna would let it get that far." David replied.

"None of us will." Brass stated. They all dispersed and began to get their food. Anna pulled Nick aside.

"Honey…I'm guessing from the whispering around us that uh…you have a jealousy gene?" Anna asked and Nick sighed. "Please keep it in check…I can tell you and Darren are at ends with each other, I'm guessing over a previous girlfriend…just be calm."

Nick nodded his head. "Okay. But he makes a move on you-"

"I'll kick his ass…you already got to be the hero once today…twice actually if you count the Regan incident, it's my turn Stokes, share the limelight." Anna joked and Nick smiled.

"Alright." He looked up and caught Darren staring at Anna from across the room while he was talking to Greg. Anna followed his gaze and turned back around.

"Hey, Nick…promise me you won't start anything with him…Nick, promise me." Nick looked back down at her and her pleading green eyes. he felt himself melt and he gave a small smile.

"I promise baby." He kissed her forehead and she closed her eyes as he brought her head to his chest and stroked her curls.

"Thank you Honey…" She looked back up at him and raised herself to kiss his cheek. "I appreciate it."

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**Delmarco Residence**

**Dinning Room **

**8:13 p.m.**

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Everyone had eventually drifted into the dinning room for dessert and were now discussing previous parties and how they all met. "So Darren," Jennifer began. "How did you and Nick meet?"

Anna, Nick, and Bill all looked at her. "Jen, no." Anna whispered fiercely. Darren watched this and smiled.

"It's alright Anna." Darren drawled and made eyes at her. "Well, Jennifer, Nick and I go back to high school." Darren began, his blue eyes dancing with cruel delight. "We hung out often and were friends for several years. We made it through most of college and then split sophomore year. We haven't really discussed why but-"

"Well there wasn't much to talk about I mean, you slept with my girlfriend." Nick said mock-casually as he leaned forwards and rested his arms on the table. The tension in the room thickened as everyone glanced nervously between each other. Should they leave? Should they stay? Should they change the subject?

Anna sighed and put her forehead in her hand. Bill nudged Jillian and gave her a scowl. "You sure he's not gonna start anything?" Bill whispered to her.

"Yeah, Anna won't let him." Jillian replied and Bill nodded.

"Uh huh, and what does that tell you about her?" Bill asked and with that, Jillian was silent.

"Listen Nick, I tried to make nice afterwards…I said I was sorry."

"No you didn't. If I remember correctly, you said you'd do it again if you could." Nick snapped.

"Oooh." Greg replied nervously. Everyone turned to him and he blushed. "Sorry."

"Nick, calm down…it wouldn't have worked out between you two anyway…" He replied and looked at Anna smiling. "I wonder if history will repeat itself."

Nick stood up but Anna's arm came down on his shoulder.

"Oh no he didn't." Warrick replied but Catherine held him down.

"No." She instructed.

"Darren…" Jillian began warningly.

"Chill Mrs. Stokes…Nicky boy won't do anything…he's too much of a 'gentleman'. That's code for 'he's whipped'." Darren replied sarcastically. Nick stood up so quickly he gave everybody whiplash. Anna pulled Nick back down into his chair. Darren laughed. "See!"

Nick stood again and Anna saw Nick's fists tighten. "Nicky…"

Nick looked at her, then back to Darren, "No Darren, I'm not starting anything because I made a promise to a very special person that I wouldn't start anything…so talk all you want." Nick replied and sat back down.

"Mr. Milane I think it's time for you to leave." Anna replied and tightened her jaw. "I'll see you out." She replied and Nick's hand was on her arm.

"Anna…"

She shook her head. "I'll be fine. I'm just walking him to the door." Nick reluctantly let go of her arm and watched as she followed Darren out of the room. He sighed and looked at the faces around him.

Anna watched as Darren strode down the hall and stopped to face her at the door. "Sorry it didn't work out kid."

"What didn't work out?" She asked perplexed.

"This." he replied and kissed her fiercely on the lips. She was shocked at first, but quickly pushed him away and back handed him across the face.

"What the Hell!" She asked astounded at his blunt perverseness. He chuckled and rubbed his face.

"You're feisty…I like that. You ain't that bad lookin either. Too bad you settled for second best."

Anna rolled her eyes and frowned. "Get out."

He winked at her. "See ya later Sweetheart." Nick appeared from around the corner and saw her wiping her lips in disgust.

"Ugh, ass hole." She remarked and looked up to see Nick.

"Did he make a move on you?" Nick asked angrily and Anna was too shocked to reply. He moved past her and fled out the door.

"Shit." She murmured and raced after him. Nick chased after him.

"Milane!" He called and Darren turned around as Nick's fist connected with his jaw. Nick turned to walk away and Darren turned him around and punched him back. Nick swung at him and knocked him to the ground.

"Nick!" Anna yelled and picked up her pace, she kicked off her sandals so she could run. Darren stood back up and punched Nick back. Nick stumbled but didn't loose his balance. "Don't!" She yelled and Nick stopped.

"Yeah Nicky, listen to the bitch, you-" Before he could finish his sentence Nick ran at full force and tackled Darren to the ground.

"Nick no!" Anna yelled as Nick pinned him to the ground. The group had surfaced to the front door and steps as they watched. The fighting continued and Warrick and Grissom rushed forward. Anna was just about to jump in their little scrap when Grissom grabbed her and held her aside. "No!"

Warrick went in and pulled Nick off of Darren. "Nick stop!" But Nick didn't listen and he continued beating up Darren. "Nick! Look what you're doing to Anna!" Warrick yelled and Nick stopped and looked back at Anna. Tears were streaming down her face and she wore a pained expression.

Nick sighed and got up off Darren. Grissom let Anna go and she rushed to Nick. She began inspecting him profusely for any serious damage besides the evident. Darren stood up wobbly and looked at Nick. "Wuss!" He yelled as Catherine and Sara walked up to the two men.

"Shut up!" Catherine ordered. "If Nick's such a wuss how'd he kick your ass in a fair fight!" Darren looked at the ground. "I have no idea why you came here and I really don't care. I suggest you get in your car, and go far away from here and never try to make contact with anyone here again." Catherine ordered and Darren did as he was told. She scoffed. "Frankly Nicky I'm glad you beat his ass to a pulp…before I did at least. He was annoying."

"Should we yell at him now or later?" Warrick asked the three others.

Anna sighed and looked at Nick. "What the Hell is wrong with you!" She yelled and Nick winced knowing he had disappointed her. "Are you crazy! Have you lost your friggin mind?"

"No…I think we can leave that to Anna." Grissom replied and the four of them watched as she reamed Nick.

"Damn she's feisty when she's pissed." Sara stated.

"Wow…it's like it never stops…I like her." Catherine declared.

"Hey…Anna's Greek right?" Warrick asked knowing that Greeks tend to be excellent 'naggers'. The four of them laughed as they watched Anna circle Nick, arms flailing, and voice raised.

"Do we rescue him yet?" Sara asked.

"Nah…she'll stop when she's ready." Grissom said.

"Are you sure she'll stop?" Catherine scoffed.

**

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A/N: So…yeah…lots of drama…I know…I'm good at that. But if you're lovin the drama then you're in luck because there's more to come!**

Read and Review! (Thanks to everyone who is! I appreciate it. It helps the chapters flow.)

--Chella Belle


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Okay ya'll, I got five reviews within like…six hours of posting Chapter 9…Yay! But keep 'em comin, and if there's anythin that's botherin ya'll or ya think may be a good idea for the book, let me know. Can you believe we're already at Chapter 10…? Well don't worry…the book isn't ending any time soon… :) Yep, ya'll are in for the long haul. (PS, I had no intention of that rhyming…it just happened.)

**Rating:** R for adult situations, violence, and language. Yep, this chapter has it all…almost.

**

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Chapter 10: "I have good news…they're gone."**

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**Delmarco Residence**

**Living Room**

**Tuesday May, 10 2004**

**8:56 p.m.**

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Anna pressed one of the bags of ice to Nick's jaw, and the other to his eye. He winced, "Ow."

"Well ya know, you wouldn't be in pain if you'd have kept your promise." Anna said, her accent still thick with her anger from earlier. She sighed and shook her head. Her lips were in a tight line and her face was still flushed, the tiny curl that continuously fell into her eye was back and she brushed it away with a shaky hand. He couldn't help but think about how cute she looked when she made her angry face. "What are you smiling about? This isn't funny Nicholas Stokes."

"Oooh! Full first name and last name, not good." Greg said as he sat on the counter and continued eating the delicious Greek dessert Anna had made. The couple on the couch looked at him with their eyebrows raised.

Nick smiled. "We've only been together a couple days, but I know when I'm in trouble…full first name." He said smirking and Greg laughed. "I got 'full named' even when we weren't dating." Nick relied and Greg smiled.

"Poor Nick…his super hot girlfriend 'full names' him when he's in trouble." Greg said sarcastically and Nick made a face at him. "Hey Anna this is good, what is it?" Greg asked changing the subject.

She looked over at his plate and sighed exasperatedly. "Amigdalota…its sugar almonds."

"And this?" He held up his other plate he was eating from and she sighed again, but smiled when she saw what he was eating.

"Htapodi me makaronaki kofto…octopus with elbow macaroni."

Greg's eyes widened in horror, he blinked, then shrugged and continued eating. Anna shook her head and then turned to face Nick. She frowned in disappointment to make him feel good and guilty. Nick rolled his eyes and sighed. "Darlin, look, I'm fine." He winced as she touched his jaw and nodded. "And just so you know, when I told you this morning that I had a surprise for you after work…this wasn't it."

She shook her head. "I forgot about that…what was it?" She said as she continued to ice his wounds.

He chuckled. "I was going to take you out to dinner."

She chuckled. "Twice in two days…someone's lookin for extra credit." She joked and he sighed. "But I think you'll need a lot more make up before we take you anywhere."

He made a face at her. "It's not as bad as it looks. See, Ow."

"Yeah, I'm lookin Nick, and I see the bruised and battered face of a man who didn't listen to me and didn't keep his promise." She sighed and looked at him with a pained expression. She continued surveying his face at the bruise forming on his jaw, a small ring indention could be found, and his black eye was more evident. His lip was broken and a cut had formed from his cheek bone to the dimple from his smile and a smaller cut was on his forehead, parallel to the one he had attained from wrestling with Josh. Anna sighed as she found the common factor of his fights…disrespectful men. "Nick…" She looked down at her hands and he brushed the curl from her face, a common habit with him. "…you can't keep beating people up every time they threaten or disrespect me."

"I don't beat up everyone…I was good with the people in the diner today."

"But you did with Josh.

Nick shook his head while smiling, "Josh was on"

"It only takes one. And you lost it today with Darren."

"Darlin, that was underlying, ancient problems…"

"But his insulting me triggered your fight." She said; her accent thick with empathy for Nick and the situation.

"So this is like a regular thing with you guys." Greg asked as he continued to eat. The two people on the couch slowly turned to shoot death glares at him. He ignored it and continued, "Anna steps foot outside the house, guys hit on and harass her, Nick beats 'em up…you have coffee…" He shrugged and looked up at them. He coughed and nodded. "Yeah, oops, not supposed to joke, okay…continue." He shoved his face with the dessert and tried to disappear.

Anna shook her head and turned back around. "Nick…you can't beat people up when they threaten or disrespect me because you'll loose your job and I know that'll kill ya. If you can't get a hold of your fighting then this…this is-"

Nick cut her off by pulling her into a hug, not wanting to hear her say the words. He sighed. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry, just please don't…don't…" Knowing he couldn't say the words and she didn't want to hear them he let the thought trail.

She squeezed his hand and he stopped talking. She nodded and hugged him tighter. Anna buried her face in his neck and he buried his in her hair. Nick looked up and saw Greg smiling at the scene before him. Anna pulled away and looked at Nick. "So no more of this?" She asked and he nodded.

"No more."

"Hey guys, I put Regan to sleep." Jennifer said walking out of the room and grabbing her purse. "I had fun." She joked and Anna gave a tired smile. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"I'll walk you out." Greg said and jumped off the counter. She turned around to look at him but nodded and smiled. Anna and Nick watched the scene and smiled. But a voice Anna heard wiped the smile right off her face. Anna stood up and turned around sharply to see Jillian Stokes walk into the room.

Jillian saw the look on Anna's face and raised her eyebrow. "What?" She asked dumbly and Anna glared.

"You're the one who brought Darren here and started this whole mess. Don't you think you owe Nick an apology?" Anna snapped.

"Anna, honey, calm down." Nick said and put his arm on her shoulder. Anna jerked her arm away and scowled at Nick in incredulity.

"No! She brought this into my home and I won't stand for that! Especially when it inflicts harm upon someone I care about!" She narrowed her glare on Jillian and she returned the look, in full force. "You put everyone here in danger."

"I didn't do it on purpose. I would never intentionally put my son in harms way." Jillian defended.

"What if he hadn't gone after Nick, what if he had taken his anger out on someone else? What if he had attacked Regan?" Anna began loosing her temper and Nick looked to his father for help.

"That obviously wasn't my intent."

"Well then what was Jillian? To get your son beaten up? To degrade me? To disrupt the piece in my house? To possibly get Nick fired?" Anna burst.

"Listen little Missy, I care very much about my baby boy and I would never hurt him or put him in hams way! Friends and women come and go but family stays forever."

"I agree, and I don't know about you, but family comes first in my house."

"It's the same in my family." Jillian snapped.

"So explain to me why you would bring someone you knew had issues with your son to dinner! I don't get it Jillian. If it wasn't your intent to hurt Nick then what the Hell where you trying to do? What! If I didn't know any better I'd say you where trying to get rid of me."

Not too eager to blow her cover, Jillian shifted the focus to Anna. She smiled deviously and walked towards her leisurely. "You know what, I've seen women like you come and go. Nicky goes through 'em like air, and you're no different."

"Mama." Nick breathed as he shifted nervously. Bill had left the room by now and was no where to be found.

"You think you're special? You think that this is it for you? Please, Nicky deserves so much better than some tramp with too much baggage. Nick deserves more than you can give him."

"Mama stop it." Nick ordered, but Jillian persisted.

"You are just a place holder till something better comes along. Nick won't settle for you. I may not approve of my son's ways but I at least know him. And I know this won't last…so care about him all you want…you're wasting your time." Jillian was inches away from Anna's face. Anna's features were hard and cold.

"Mama. Stop it right now." Nick barked and stepped forward, but his mother's glare sent him back.

"I'm just saving you time because I know my boy. And he won't stick around for this. There's too much baggage." Jillian said and backed away from Anna to admire her work. She had hit a soft spot and she knew it. Anna stared at her, visibly distraught and heart broken, but not crying or showing emotion. It all lay in her sad green eyes.

Nick stared at his mother in disbelief, too shell shocked to say anything…maybe he should've. Anna blinked and looked at Jillian. "I think it's time for you to find somewhere else for you to stay." Anna said barely audibly and Jillian nodded and bit of triumph in her eyes.

"Let's go Nick." Jillian said and Nick finally snapped out of his trance and shook his head.

"No. Mama how could you say that to her…I think you should leave."

Jillian stared in shock. "Nick…I did it for you."

Nick shook his head. "Go back to Texas Mama." He darted off towards Anna's room and knocked on her door. "Anna…" He knocked again. "Anna please." he still received no answer. "Anna talk to me."

"Please go Nick…go with your parents."

"Anna please, you need to listen. I'm sorry about what my mother said. Anna please. Don't blow this out of proportion."

"Go away Nick."

He sighed and turned away from the door and walked out of the hallway, but he wasn't leaving. He went out the sliding door in the dining room and crossed the patio to the sliding door leading into Anna's room. As he had hoped it was open and he walked through her curtains. She bolted upright. "Nick! What the Hell are you doing?" She got off her bed and stood far away from him.

"This is the only way I can get you to listen." He walked towards her. "Anna I am so sorry for what my mother said. I have no idea what in the world would posses her to do that. I really don't." He took another step closer and Anna watched him carefully. "Anna what she said couldn't be farther from the truth. You know that."

"No Nick, no, I don't know that. You could leave me for some older, more mature blonde with less baggage at any given moment."

Nick looked at her as if she had just said fingerprints were no longer admissible in court and Grissom didn't have secret feelings of love for Sara. "What are you talking about? What brought this on?"

Anna sighed and sat down on the bed. "Your mom knows you better than I do…she's seen your relationships…so has everyone else…and they've all said the same thing."

"Who? Who in the world is saying that I would leave you?"

"Everybody that knows you said that this was how all your other relationships were."

Nick shook his head and sat down on the bed next to her. "Honey…I was in every one of those relationships…and they weren't like this. I didn't wake up every morning waiting to see the girl I was with…mostly because my relationships didn't last till the next morning. I didn't go through the day without them and count the minuets until I got to see them next. I didn't call them for any apparent reason other than to her their voice. I didn't kiss their forehead and their hand when they were making dinner just because they smelled so good." He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her forehead.

She sniffled as he continued. "I didn't sit on the couch and pretend to watch football when I was actually watching her cook dinner and then get so tired of being twenty feet away from her so I'd just up off the couch and offer to do something just so I could be near her." She gave a small chuckle and ducked her head. Nick lifted it back up with his finger. "I didn't stay awake for all hours of the night just to watch them sleep. I didn't rush them in the morning so they wouldn't have time to put on makeup because they look absolutely beautiful without it. I didn't take them to Wal-Mart at four in the morning so I could show them off in sweat pants because they looked beautiful no matter what they had on…I didn't have that with them. But I do with you."

A tear slipped down Anna's cheek and Nick caught it with his thumb as he stroked her cheek. "And I'll tell you what, none of them ever threatened to leave me because I was overly obsessed with keeping them safe and defending their honor."

Anna chuckled and looked down. Nick brought her chin back up to his. "Nick I uh…I just kicked your parents out of my house…and you're in here trying to comfort me…what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. Anna what my mom said to you was wrong and couldn't be farther from the truth."

Anna nodded slowly and looked into his big brown eyes. "I'm sorry I over reacted…I tend to do that." She said smirking. Nick smiled and rubbed her cheek with his thumb. "Get ready for drama Stokes."

"Hey, the course of true love never did run smooth." Nick quoted and Anna chuckled and kissed him softly.

"You've said that twice today."

"Wow…well you are dramatic." He joked and she swatted his arm.

"I feel bad for kicking your parents out. Well…"

Nick chuckled. "You feel bad for kicking my mom out." Nick finished. "She can be hard to take."

"Do you think I should let her stay?"

"No." Nick answered automatically. She bit her lower lip and Nick leaned in to kiss her quickly on the lips, he rested his forehead against hers. "Darlin…do what you want. What she said to you was wrong."

"But why punish your Dad for it?"

"Because he didn't try to stop her." Nick said.

Anna chuckled. "Geez Baby, you seem kinda cold about this."

"She made you cry…I don't like that." Nick said and Anna merely looked at him. Her lips twitched into a smile.

"Nicky…how long are you planning on staying here?"

"Probably until my parents leave. Why?" He asked not catching on.

She smiled. "How about they stay somewhere sort of close, not too far away, but far enough as to where I don't have to come into contact with her. But Regan and I can still visit your father." Anna suggested and Nick smiled.

He took her by the hand and the two of them walked out of Anna's room and down the hall, through the dining room, kitchen, and stopped outside the guest room door. Nick gripped Anna's hand tighter and knocked on the door. "Mama, Daddy, I need to talk to you."

The door opened and Bill appeared in the door way. He looked at Nick, then Anna, "I'm sorry Anna…I'm sorry for my wife's behavior."

"Maybe you should've done something to stop her." Nick said and Bill hung his head momentarily, and then looked his son in the eye.

"I'm sorry son."

"She didn't say it to me…" Nick hinted and Bill looked at Anna again.

"I'm deeply sorry Anna."

"Well we have an idea." Anna began. "Instead of the two of you going back to Texas, you can stay at Nick's apartment while Nicky stays here…because I frankly can't bear to see her everyday, but Nick can still easily keep contact and Regan and I can see you."

Bill smiled and looked at Nick. "She's a smart one." He said jerking his head towards Anna.

Nick smiled. "That's one of the reasons I've fallen for her." Anna blushed.

"Okay…Nicky, why don't you show them the way to your apartment and get them settled in there tonight." Anna replied and Nick and Bill nodded, smiling. Being forced away from her baby boy was punishment enough, but the fact that he would be staying in a huge house, alone, with his girlfriend would practically drive her insane.

"Let's break the news to your mother son."

"I think she'll prefer going to Texas than have her baby boy staying here with me." Anna whispered as Nick and his father snickered and walked into the room. They left Anna standing outside the room so she could hear, but didn't have to see Jillian. "Mama." He said and he and Bill stood by the door and looked at her as she packed her bags with a slight spring in her step.

"Nicky, is your bag packed?"

Nick shook his head. "No Ma'am, I'm stayin here."

Jillian stopped and looked at them. "What?"

"Jillian, we're going to stay at Nicholas' apartment while he stays here…with Anna." Bill replied and Jillian dropped her jaw.

"W-w-what w-why? No, no Nick. You should come with us." She took a step towards him. "Nicholas…" She said desperately and Nick shook his head.

"No Ma'am. I'm stayin here with Anna. After the emotional and verbal heartbreak she endured tonight I think she needs a shoulder to cry on." Nick replied diplomatically. He and his father crossed their arms over their chests.

Jillian looked back and forth between the two, desperate for any sign of this being a joke. She huffed. "I might as well go back to Texas." She plopped herself on the bed and Nick heard a snicker from Anna, her suspicion had been right.

"Mama, we still want you here so we can see you, but I think its time Anna, Regan, and I had our space."

Jillian looked up and glared. "You just want me out so you can be free to fornicate with that little-"

"Jillian enough!" Bill interrupted and reached back and put his hand on the door and held it shut, sure enough to his suspicions, Anna pushed against the door but Bill held it in place.

"Well that-"

"Hey, hey, hey." Nick interrupted. "Her name is Anna. And you brought this upon yourself. And if something does happen that's none of your business."

"Oh, none of my business. I gave birth to you Nicholas. I gave you life."

"Exactly, you gave me one. That makes it mine, not yours. You have to know where the line between your life and my life is, and don't cross it. I love you Mama…but you gotta give me room to breathe. Yeah, I made mistakes in the past, I treated girls like nothing more than a good time…but Anna's not like that. I care about her, I respect her and I would never hurt her…and I know she feels the same way about me." Nick replied and his mother looked at him defeat.

She clenched her jaw and looked at the two men. "Well…I guess that's it then." She zipped her bag and turned back around to face them. "I want to leave tonight." She pushed passed them and opened the door. The men winced and waited for Anna's hiding spot to be revealed. When nothing was heard they turned around confused. Jillian was frowning at the door. She was sure Anna had been listening through the other side. Jillian huffed. "Let's go Bill."

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**Delmarco Residence**

**Wednesday **

**May 11, 2004**

**12:16 a.m.**

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Nick walked through Anna's front door and looked around. The television was on and Anna was asleep on the couch, waiting for him. He smiled as he rounded the couch and knelt down in front of her. He felt a smile grace his lips as he took in her appearance. She had washed off all of her makeup, changed into a pair of sweat pants and a T-shirt and socks, and had tied her hair up into a pony tail and was curled up hugging a blanket.

Nick brushed a stray hair, that had escaped from her pony tail, out of her face and kissed her cheek. She moved slightly and moaned as she stretched and rubbed her eyes. "Mmhhmm." She said and Nick chuckled. She blinked and looked at him. She brought her hand to his face and rubbed where the scruff had already begun to grow. "Hey." She said softly and stroked his cheek, being careful to avoid the bruises and cuts he had attained from earlier. She sighed and Nick took her hand off his face and kissed her palm, she smiled as he put it back on his face.

"All better. And Good mornin Beautiful." He said and rubbed his hand across her cheek.

"Hi Hon." She said sleepily and she shifted so that she was lying on her back. He saw that she was wearing the locket necklace he gave her and smiled. Nick put his arm on the couch behind her and leaned on her so he could give her a kiss.

"I have good news…they're gone. They're at my house." Nick said and she smiled. "They settled into my apartment and they're staying there." He said and crawled on the couch next to her. She turned to face him so he was between her and the back of the couch. "They're going to stay there till Friday…they'll be out of your house."

Anna chuckled. "Yay! Don't get me wrong, I adore your father, and I'm sure your mother can be a great person." Anna said and Nick chuckled. "I'm just used to it being Regan and I like all the time. So to have three more people in my house all the time…" She inhaled and sighed. "…it's tough to take at times."

Nick chuckled and put his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. "You sayin you want me to leave?" He asked playfully and Anna chuckled and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head to hers so she could kiss him. He inhaled and pressed his hand flat against her back and pressed her to him. He cocked his head and kissed her neck and she giggled and cringed as she squished her body into his. He chuckled and she kissed his ear. "Oooh! Feisty." He mumbled and she chuckled and shoved his shoulder lightly. Nick stopped kissing her and pulled back.

She growled. "Okay, okay…we have to think of something to use as a 'safe word'."

"What's a 'safe word'?"

"Come on! You have sex more than anyone I know and you don't know what a 'safe word' is?" Nick shrugged. "Okay, it's a word you say during sex, foreplay, or making out when you seriously want the other person to stop doing what they're doing and back off."

"Well why don't say stop?"

"Because whenever I play around when you tickle me and say stop you actually stop even though I don't mean it. It's like another anti-boner for you."

"Well…" Nick shrugged.

"And that's okay, it's sexy that you're like that…but we have to think of something."

"Hmm. How about…grandma."

She laughed. "Well…that's good, but I don't think if we're in the middle of sex, I want the word grandma being shouted at me."

Nick chuckled and sat up as she did also. "So, you're ready for sex?"

"Well…I don't know. I don't think I'm ready for it right away…but eventually…maybe. I don't have any intentions of dumping you so…I think I like you Nicky." She said in a baby voice and cuddled up to Nick. He chuckled and she sat on his lap sideways and threw her arms around his shoulders. "I think I'm gonna keep you for a while."

Nick smiled. "Well…I like you too. And I have a confession." She shifted so that she was now straddling him and his hands rested on her thighs. "I had the best nap ever this after noon. Seriously…it was amazing."

"Me too!" She said mock-excitedly and Nick laughed.

"Are you mocking me?"

"Never." She replied and kissed his lips gently and chuckled when she felt something against her thigh. "Oops…sorry."

He chuckled. "You just got right to work the minute my parents were outta here huh?"

She laughed. "I can't help it you're so damn excitable. You're like a friggin puppy in heat…ya horndog." Nick tickled her side and she shifted her hips against his in a grinding motion. She felt him inhale and she put her hand over her mouth. "Oops, sorry again."

He growled. "Anna…" He moaned her name and she laughed. "Don't start somethin you can't finish baby." He chuckled

"**You** started it. You tickled me **first** buddy." She poked him in the chest. Nick squeezed her hips.

"Don't do that." He growled as he smirked and she grinned deviously.

"What, this?" She shifted her hips and he gritted his teeth.

"Anna…no fair. Girls have it easy." Nick said and Anna laughed.

"What?"

"Yeah, when girls are horney they can just walk around and act like its no big deal. But guys, we've got this…" He gestured to his pants and chuckled.

She shoved his shoulder and laughed. "It's tough for women too ya know."

"Oh yeah, walking around with a huge bump in your pants must be terrible…oh wait, that's us."

"Okay, now who are you referring to when you say 'us'?" She teased and Nick shook his head. "Baby, I'm sorry that I uh, made you frustrated, but…"

"I know, you're not ready."

"Even if I was, we don't have protection so…"

"Yes, but I could run out to the store and be back in like ten minutes." Nick said shifting her off of him and lying back so that she was sitting next to him.

"You're Hell bent and eager…a funny combination."

"For you maybe."

She chuckled and lay back down next to him and he enveloped her in his arms. "You're cute, but that black eye is getting bad."

"I'm gonna have to borrow your makeup tomorrow." Nick relied and she laughed. "We still need a safe word, and we know grandma is out." He pointed out.

"What about dog?"

"I think I'd take that offensive." He joked.

"Well what about computer?"

"Are you making up random words?"

She laughed. "You_ could_ help me out. Give me a random word…anything."

"Okay…biscuits." She laughed and Nick smirked. "Biscuits it is." He held her tighter and she chuckled and buried her head in his neck.

"Let's give it a test run." She said quickly and started nibbling on his ear. He felt a chill go up his spine as her hands glided over his chest, down to the waist band of his jeans, and under his shirt. She let her loose fingers drag on his flesh and he met her lips with a fiery kiss. His hands went up the back of her shirt and he pressed his flat palm into the small of her back, forcing her body to meld with his. She moaned softly and Nick felt desire rise through him. He moved to kiss the flesh of her shoulder that was exposed by the shifting of her shirt and he let his hands explore the bare flesh of the flash underneath her shirt on her back. "Biscuits." She replied and subconsciously, Nick pulled away from her and then looked at her confused at how he'd done that.

She chuckled at the expression on his face. "Well…that works."

She laughed. "It's like your entire 'system' shut down."

"Well, I'll admit, I've been with a lot of women, and hearing the word 'biscuit' when we're fooling around is a little strange."

"Well good…biscuit stays."

"Hey Darlin…"

"Yes?"

"Um, kinda personal question comin your way."

"Alright." She snuggled into his embrace as they relaxed on the couch.

"Are you a virgin?" He asked seriously and she burst out laughing. Nick blushed. "Is that a no?"

"Far from it baby."

"_Ahh_, this entire time you dogged **me** about bein a Playboy…are you a Playboy bunny?" He joked and she chuckled.

"You wish…but no." She stood up and stretched.

"What, do you like, have a kid or somethin?" He joked and she walked into the kitchen. "When did you loose your virginity?" He asked following her.

"Wow, what a great midnight talk, so romantic." She joked and he plopped down on a stool by the bar/counter and watched her put water into a pot and let it boil.

"Well if you don't want to talk about it."

"When did you loose yours?" She countered and Nick stared at her blankly. She searched his eyes and frowned when she saw them darken.

"Touché." He replied dryly and nodded his head as if it was a joke and he was trying to shake it off.

Anna raised her brow. "You okay Hon?" She put her hand on his forearm and he nodded.

"Uh huh. I'm just tired." He lied and the squeal of the tea pot cut off whatever she was about to say. She poured the water into two mugs and took two packets of hot chocolate mix out and mixed them in. She handed Nick a cup and kept one for herself. They stayed as they were for almost ten minutes, without saying anything. Nick stole a glance at her and could tell by the look on her face that she was thinking about something. "What ya thinkin 'bout Darlin?" He drawled, his tiredness affecting his accent.

She shook her head and looked at him. "Nothing." She jumped up and sat on the island and continued to sip her hot chocolate. Nick did the same with his and set his mug in the sink when he was finished. He walked around to the counter and stood in front of her. He put his hands on either sides of her thighs and shifted his weight to one foot as he looked up to her eyes. She gave a crooked smile and finished off the last of her hot chocolate. He took the cup from her and put it in the sink. He walked back over to her and rested his forehead on her chest, so that he was face to face with her cleavage. She chuckled and ran her fingers through his hair and they stayed like that, in compatible silence.

After a few minutes he looked up. "Ready to go to sleep Sugar?" Nick drawled affectionately and she smiled and nodded. He wrapped her legs around his waist and slid her off the counter so that he was holding her. She chuckled.

"Anything to grab my ass, huh Nick?" She joked and he smirked and nodded.

"Damn straight."

She chuckled wrapped her arms around his neck so she could have balance. "Wanna sleep in my room? I'll even let you in the bed this time." She joked and he looked at her nodding.

"Yes, and I'll be the perfect gentleman."

She smiled. "I trust you. And we can't do anything anyway…"

"Yep…lack of condoms and aptitude of Southern Gentleman morals keeps us pure." Nick joked.

"At least for now." She said in a low voice and wiggled her eyebrows.

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**Stokes Residence**

**6:05 a.m.**

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The harsh drone of the alarm clock buzzed in Jillian's ear, and she moaned as she rolled over and hit the snooze button. Bill was sleeping soundly next to her and she sighed. "I miss the comfy bed." She whined to herself.

"Well maybe you shouldn't have been such a bitch to Anna; we could still be sleeping on the Heaven sent mattress." Bill replied lazily. Jillian sighed.

"Shut up." She rolled over and threw the pillow over her face. Bill chuckled.

"Out of bed ya lazy head." He ordered and grabbed her foot to drag her out of the bed. She moaned.

"I hate this. I just wanna lay in bed all day and mope."

Bill opened his mouth to protest but caught himself and formed an idea. "Alright honey, you can lie in the bed that your baby boy has fornicated in with dozens of women every night…and this bed didn't always have two inhabitants when it was seeing action." Bill said and Jillian jumped ten feet out of the bed.

"Oh GOD! We slept on that!"

Bill chuckled. "We wouldn't be here if-"

"I weren't such a bitch…I know."

"Have you learned your lesson?" Bill asked and Jillian nodded. Bill smiled and walked out of the room.

"Yeah, next time, don't get caught." Jillian mumbled to herself.

"What was that honey?"

"I just asked if we were having eggs for breakfast."

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**Delmarco Residence **

**Kitchen**

**6:23 a.m.**

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"Regan your French toast is ready!" Anna called from the kitchen and Nick walked up behind her and leaned over her shoulder to kiss her cheek. He lingered there for a moment then did, what Anna had deemed, 'the puppy kiss'. He sniffed, breathed, kissed, licked, and snarled on her neck and tickled her excessively. She giggled and cringed at her neck and Nick kissed her cheek again.

"Mornin Sugar." He drawled and grabbed a coffee cup and filled it with fresh coffee from the pot.

She chuckled and turned around to face him and chuckled. "You're in a good mood this morning baby."

"Yep…I slept really good last night."

"Laying in that bed is like laying in a cloud, huh?" She smiled and continued making French toast.

"Eh, I don't think it's the bed so much as the beautiful woman next to me." Nick remarked and Anna chuckled while looking over her shoulder and winking. "Are you workin today?"

"Nope…not till next Monday. When do you go back to work?" She turned on the water so she could soak the frying pan in which she had been making breakfast awaiting his answer.

"Saturday."

Anna nodded and turned to face him and wrap her arms around his neck. "What are we gonna do today?"

"Well, we've been out on the boat, we've been to the movies, we've gone put put golfing, we've gone out to eat, we've gone out to see the sights…I think we've done it all Sweetheart." Nick replied and Anna chuckled.

"Well there is one thing…remember when we were talking on our first date, and you told me you once went paragliding?"

"No uh uh, no. You are not going paragliding. It's too dangerous."

"But you went." She whined.

"And I almost got my head taken off by a flock of seagulls, crashed into a range of mountains, and went up too high like that paraglider that died did."

She swatted his arm. "Nick! You went paragliding when you knew someone had recently died from doing it?"

"I uh…I actually worked the case and went gliding that afternoon."

"Nick! What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't…"

She scoffed, "Good answer."

"I can promise I won't do it again."

"Well good…but I'm still going."

"What? But I just told you how dangerous it was…why are you still going?"

"Pretty stupid choice huh?" She smirked knowingly and he rolled his eyes.

"Alright, alright…you've made your point I made a stupid choice. I promise I will never do it again or anything else in which I have finished working a case in which they died." He pledged and held up his 'Boy Scout's Honor' sign. She chuckled.

"Well good. Now what are we gonna do today? Oh wait…" She walked to her fridge and looked inside. "We probably need to go grocery shopping."

Nick laughed, "You do realize that's where I picked you up at right?"

"Correction, I picked you up."

"Did not."

"Who asked who to dinner?"

"Regan asked me…it took both of us to convince you to give me a shot." Nick reminded her and she blushed.

"Yeah but I like you now."

"Finally! Took ya long enough. I was crazy for ya the minute I met you." Nick replied and she chuckled.

"Judging by your crazy ass stories…I'd say you were crazy before you met me."

"True…but your natural craziness drove me over the edge."

"Sorry."

"It's okay…" He brought her closer to him and lowered his lips to hers but didn't make contact. His hands gently cupped her face. "I kinda like it." He said deeply and his lips gently brushed hers. She drew her lips closer to his but he pulled away slightly. She frowned playfully and he leaned back in, but before he reached her lips he backed away smirking. She wrinkled her nose, put her hands on either sides of his face, and roughly pulled him towards her.

He chuckled as she kissed him. She moaned in protest, "Quit laughing. Shut up and kiss me."

"I think that's a song."

She groaned and pushed him away mock-angrily. Nick chuckled and went to kiss her shoulder. "No, I don't want your kisses anymore. Go do what you need to do."

"Fine." Nick said pulling away, knowing that she wasn't serious but she was trying to be. He walked away and picked up his keys.

"Wait your not gonna kiss me goodbye first?" She asked innocently and as if she was offended. Nick shook his head chuckling.

"Nope."

She dropped her jaw and then gave him a puppy face. He laughed and walked to the counter to lean over and give her a passionate kiss. "See now, if you would've done that in the first place we could have saved ourselves," She looked at her watch. "Two minutes."

"Eh, this was funner."

"'Funner' isn't a word."

"Yes huh."

"No huh, go ask Regan. And tell her to hurry up because she needs to be at school." Anna called over her shoulder and wiped down the counters.

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**Nick's Tahoe**

**8:04 a.m.**

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"What do you mean Jen isn't there? Well I saw her last night…no she was fine…really? Well if she shows up let me know." Anna replied and hung up with Mac.

"What?" Nick asked as she had a suspicious look on her face.

"Baby, call Greg for me. I have an idea." Nick arched his brow.

"If it involves getting rid of me I'm not dialing."

Anna leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Nope." She replied and Nick smiled and took out his phone, while shifting his eyes between the road and the phone as he dialed. He handed her the phone and waited for her response. "Greg?"

"Yeah?" He answered drowsily.

"Wow, you don't sound too good. Are you okay?"

"I'm just hung over."

"Oh, you went out for drinks?"

"Yeah."

"Alone?"

"No. I mean yes!"

Anna smirked. "Really? That's funny, my friend, Jennifer, she's hung over too. She came into the diner with a killer headache. Yeah, poor Jen. I hope she makes it through the day. She's still a little drunk."

"But Jennifer's here with me." Greg blurted and Anna grinned from ear to ear.

"I knew it!" She yelled. "You and Jen hooked up last night!"

"Did not." He lied.

"Then why is she in the background murmuring for you to get back in bed?" Greg was silent. "Uh huh." Anna said knowingly.

"Can I have the phone?" Nick whispered and she handed it to him. "Greggo? You hooked up with Jen?"

He moaned. "Yeah, sorta."

Nick chuckled. "Well Anna, at least one goal from our party came through." Nick said loud enough for both parties to hear.

"You planned on this?" Greg shouted.

"Well we didn't think you two would pull a 'Nick'." Anna shouted so Greg could hear.

"Hey." Greg and Nick chorused, both offended.

"Why?" Greg asked.

"I had to get ya off my woman somehow." Nick joked knowing Anna would get pissed at how he referred to her.

"Your **woman**!" She shouted. "Gimme the phone." Anna motioned for it and Nick chuckled. "Well that was Fonzi's plan…your woman." She mumbled the last part and rolled her eyes. "I did it because I thought you two would go cute together. You like hot girls and she likes crazy guys."

Greg moaned. "Thanks…I think."

Anna chuckled. "Go back to sleep. Be good to her Greg."

"I will."

"And Greg,"

"Yes?"

"If you ever refer to her as 'your woman'…ask Nick what you put on your wounds from a 'pissed off girlfriend ass kicking'." Anna instructed and Greg chuckled.

"Ooooo! Nicky's in trouble." Greg said once Anna handed Nick the phone.

"Shut up." Nick mumbled and turned off the phone. He looked over at her and gave an innocent smile. "Sorry Anna. You're not my woman, you're your own woman who just happens to be my girlfriend…a girlfriend who I'm crazy about."

"I take it this has happened before."

"Oh yeah!"

"So why do you keep doing it?"

"I'm a man. I'm programmed not to learn."

She chuckled, "Good luck advancing in your career."

Nick grabbed her hand and kissed the top of it. "Sorry Sweetheart." He apologized and Anna smiled sheepishly.

"Thank you." He kissed her hand again and smiled as they pulled into the grocery store parking lot.

"Ah, the grocery store of love." Nick said in a French accent.

"Do you know how to speak French?"

"No."

"Oh…"

"Do you?"

"No."

"Why are we talking about this?"

"I don't know." Nick unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. "You brought it up."

They grabbed a cart and wheeled it into the store. "No huh. You started it with the French accent." She pointed out and Nick rolled his eyes.

"You act like a little kid sometimes." He accused.

"Yeah, it's sad. My kid sister is more of an adult than I am at times." Anna said as they turned down the first isle.

"Shopping is boring." Nick said changing the subject. Anna chuckled.

"I know a game we can play. Do you have a pen?" Anna asked and Nick handed her a pen. "Okay, this is the Shopping Kiss Game. Each time you find an item on the list you put your initial next to that item that you found. Each initial is equal to one kiss. Once we find everything on the list we collect our kisses." Anna explained with a smile. Nick smiled.

"Hmm…you make act like a little kid at times, but you sure know how to make things fun." He stated and she gave an I-can't-help-it smile.

"So, you in?"

Nick chuckled. "Definitely." Nick replied and she handed him the list.

"Go."

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**Zippy's Supermarket **

**9:37 a.m.**

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"I creamed your ass Stokes!" She gloated.

Nick pouted as he loaded the bags into his Tahoe. "Yeah, well…you know the store better than I do."

Anna snorted in an un-lady like manner. Nick chuckled as they finished loading the bags and he tried to watch her without letting her know that he was. It still annoyed him that she did most things for herself and hassled him when he tried to help, but they were getting better at it. She started letting him help her with some things with only mild complaints. While Nick tried to assist less and let her do some things for herself with only mild hassles to let him help.

"Quit being a baby." She turned once he slid the last bag in the Tahoe. "I'll take my kisses now." She said sweetly.

"Oh really…well, I want my two and a half kisses."

She chuckled. "You're actually counting that 'half find'."

"Hell yeah!" He walked her to her car door and opened it for her, held out his hand to help her in, and closed the door once she was settled in. He walked back around to his side and slid into the car. "Kisses. Now. Please."

Anna chuckled and leaned over to kiss him on the lips. She did once, then twice, then let her lips linger over his for a moment, her soft red lips brushed his; barely touching his, and then she pulled away. "That was for your half kiss."

Nick moaned. "I should've just stuck with the two kisses."

She laughed. "You know I'm one of the best teases in the world." Nick arched a brow and she rolled her eyes and slowly nodded. "Okay, okay, at least the greater Las Vegas area." She reasoned and Nick chuckled.

"And I know this…so why do I torture myself with you?"

"I think it's because, 'I'm a man. I'm programmed not to learn.'" She said in a husky Southern accent. He blinked at her then cracked a smile.

"You are not nice."

"You do not learn."

"Touché."

She chuckled and turned back around to face forward in her seat. "So, I need to drop this stuff off at the house but after that you get to choose the next event of the day."

"Well uh, I may have to abandon you temporarily while you put away the groceries. I have to go see my parents and I didn't think you'd want to go see them with me."

Anna chuckled. "Not just yet. Give it a few days."

"I figured."

"Yeah, that's fine. I wanna change outta my sweats anyway."

"Nah, I think you're adorable in your sweats."

She chuckled. "No, you go and…abandon me." She said dramatically. "But…I will take my 21 kisses now." She replied and looked at him slyly. He chuckled and leaned over the cup holder to meet her lips. He gave her twenty quick kisses. "Hey! No fair! That was like a friggin machine gun." She whined and Nick leaned back over to give her a long, fiery, passionate kiss. He pulled away and she moaned again. "Ugh…now I know what its like to be you after we kiss." She said and turned back to the front of the car.

He arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" She pouted and ignored him. She quickly looked at him from the corners of her eyes and continued pouting. "Baby, what do you-" Suddenly it dawned on him. "Oh! I teased you!" He smiled in accomplishment and she frowned.

"Yeah, yeah. Congratulations, you finally teased your girlfriend…you want a medal?"

"Not exactly the kind of reward I was thinking of but…"

She slapped his arm. "Don't! Be nice to me." She said trying not to laugh.

He gasped in shock. "Be **nice** to you! You get **pleasure** out of teasing me!"

She chuckled despite herself. "Don't contradict me, I'm cute." She argued and Nick chuckled.

"Aww…poor baby." He moved closure to her and put his hand on her knee and gently rubbed it. "This has to be hard for you." He said jokingly and she brushed his hand away and pouted.

"Don't touch me." She snapped half seriously. Nick chuckled and gave his signature smile.

"Oooh, you're cranky when you're teased." Nick chuckled and looked out the window at the store behind them. "Want me to run back into the store?" Nick asked and Anna sighed.

"No…don't wanna keep your parents waiting." She replied and Nick chuckled.

"Well then we're buying you some Ben and Jerry's because you need some satisfaction." Nick replied in all seriousness and Anna bent over in her seat laughing. Nick smiled innocently at her. "What?"

She shook her head and continued laughing. "We're stopping at the first 7-11 we see. I need Ben and Jerry's."

**

* * *

A/N: Sorry I took so long with the update…I finally have a full on plan and outline for the book…it should flow easier now. --crosses fingers-- hopefully. I know the last part of the chapter was just rambling...but it was cute and it actually had VIP facts in it...see, I don't just put random things in the book...I have a plan...sort of**

**R&R**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **okay, I don't know when exactly mother's day was in 2004 so I'm guessin here. I'm pretending it is on Sunday May 15, 2004…I know that wasn't it so don't shoot me. I'm just a simple fan fiction writer with no life and no calendar to correct her dates in her stories. (Man that sounds sad when it's actually written (typed) on paper (on your computer screen)… ;)

**Rating:** R, adult situations and heavy language.

**

* * *

Chapter 11: "Look who's trying to hurt who now."**

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**Stokes Residence**

**Wednesday **

**May 11, 2004**

**10:04 a.m.**

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Nick opened his apartment door and walked in to see his father sitting on the couch watching television and his mother doing dishes. Nick wanted to run for the hills, whenever she did dishes it meant she was too upset and aggravated to yell. That was never good. Nick shook his head and sat the bags from the store down on his counter.

His mother looked briefly over her shoulder at him then continued doing the dishes. Bill walked over to his son and they silently began unloading the groceries Nick had bought for them. They worked around Jillian, knowing better than to touch, move, or speak to her when she was in 'cleaning' mode.

Once the men had finished they went into the other room and closed the door. "How's Mama doin?" Nick asked and Bill scratched his neck and sighed.

"We fought most of this mornin."

Nick pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Damn."

"Nicholas…there's somethin I need to tell you." His father drawled and Nick looked at him curiously. "I uh…I knew about your mother's full intentions with Anna." Nick dropped his jaw and stared at his father with a look of hurt and betrayal on his face. "I didn't support nor like what she was doing to her but-"

Nick held up his hand and shook his head. "Ya know what; I really don't care right now."

"Nick, you know how your mother can be. When she sets her mind to somethin she goes all the way. I-"

"Stop it." Nick hissed sharply. "I don't have time for this right now." He snapped and walked out of the room. He huffed and turned back around. "You know, I thought you were the parent that would be on our side…" Nick looked at his father like he was a stranger that told him he had just proven that the molecular composition of food wasn't altered in a microwave.

Nick walked out of the room and Bill sighed. He drug a tired hand over his face and listened to the front door being slammed. Shortly thereafter Jillian walked to the doorway and leaned against it while drying her hands on a dish towel. She simply looked at him and sighed.

"Let's go home." Jillian stated and Bill nodded. She turned on her heel and went to go set their plane reservations.

Bill sighed and put his hands on his hips and dropped his head. "Yeah." He nodded even though he knew she wasn't there.

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**Nick's Tahoe **

**Unknown Location**

**3:48 a.m.**

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Nick had been sitting in his Tahoe down the street and around the corner from Anna's house for almost five hours. What his Dad had confessed to him made him not want to face Anna. He'd always been a lousy liar and had been known to wear his heart on his sleeve. He knew that the minute he walked in the door she'd sense something was wrong and she'd drag it out of him.

She had been so hurt when she found out that his mother was trying to get rid of her, and she had suspected that, if she found out that his father had known about it and hadn't stopped it…she'd be heart broken. Anna had called his phone several times, leaving messages and wondering where he was.

His parents had left a message saying that they were on the next flight back to Texas and they'd be gone by tonight. Nick felt guilty, but not totally for what they had done to Anna. Anna…he needed to see her.

He sighed and gave up. Nick shoved the key in the ignition and started the engine and pulled from off the side of the road. He drove the short drive down the street and around the corner and parked his Tahoe in the driveway. The minute he pulled into the drive Anna emerged from the house.

She ran to his car and Nick smiled and got out of the car. "Baby, where have you been? You've been gone for almost six hours. I was freaking out. I left a dozen messages and I didn't get any answer. I called around and asked everyone where you were but no one knew." She replied and Nick hugged her close and kissed the top of her head.

"I was at my apartment with my parents." Nick lied and she looked up at him for a moment then looked back down. "They're going back to Texas early…they're home sick." Nick lied. She nodded and pulled away from him to walk to the house.

He had noticed that she had changed into a plain tiny white T-shirt and a pair of cargo capris. Her hair was straightened and the front part was pulled off her forehead and clipped back on her head. They walked into the house and Nick kicked off his shoes by the door. Anna waited for him and they walked into the kitchen.

"Where's Raggs?"

Anna smirked. "Catherine came by and we talked for a while, she brought Lindsey by and Regan came home and she and Lindsey actually hit it off. No offense to Lindsey or Catherine but from what I've heard about Lindsey that's amazing that she'd make friends with someone who wasn't in the 'in crowd'." Anna chuckled and shook her head. "Anyway, she and Regan went back to Catherine's house for a sleepover."

Nick furred his brows. "But its Wednesday."

"The schools of the greater Las Vegas area are having a teacher's in-service day tomorrow."

"In the middle of the week?"

Anna shrugged and shook her head. "Oh well…I'm just glad Raggs is makin friends. I think she and Linds hit it off because Regan admires Lindsey's 'coolness' and easy ability to impress people, and Lindsey likes being admired and she now has a friend who is smarter than she is, but won't be cocky about it when she helps her with things."

Nick scoffed. "That girl would give anything to avoid asking Catherine for help."

Anna chuckled. "Well…none of my business anyway. But Cath's brining her back tomorrow around 6:00 p.m. precisely." Anna smiled at Nick and he walked around the counter to her. She raised her brow and smiled knowing he was up to something. "What?" She questioned narrowing her gaze playfully.

He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist and lightly kissed her lips. "Nothing." He kissed her again. "I was just thinking," Another kiss. "We have the whole house to ourselves." He kissed her again. "For an entire 25 and a half hours." Another kiss. "What are we gonna do?" He kissed her again, this time longer.

She smiled. "Well, something we can't do with people in the house, especially Raggs." She grinned deviously and Nick leaned back in for another kiss. "We're gonna clean."

Nick's eyes shot open and he dropped his jaw. She giggled deviously and darted down the hall knowing he'd be chasing her. Sure enough he came after her. "Tease!" He yelled and chased her through the dinning room and into the hallway. She ran into her room and he followed. She ducked out the sliding door and into the dining room. Nick came through the dining room's sliding door and saw her standing on the other side with a mischievous grin. "Anna-I-don't-know-your-full-name Delmarco you're so dead when I get a hold of you!" He threatened playfully.

She smirked and her tongue darted out to lick her lips before she spoke. She saw Nick's pupils dilate with passion and she grinned in triumph. "I know your weakness."

"Yes, I should think it'd be obvious…you."

She smiled and shook her head. "Yes, but besides that…" she bit her lower lip and she saw him smirk slightly. "You want to kiss me." She stated matter-of-factly.

She winked and he smirked. "Yes…I want to do a little more than kiss you." He joked and she walked around the table towards him and licked her lips again.

"Did you notice that every time I lick, bit, or play with my lips you kiss me?" She asked and Nick shook his head and grabbed her arm and pulled her to him.

"No, I was too busy kissing you."

She chuckled as he began devouring her neck. She moaned and threw her head back giving him further access to the flesh of her neck. Nick moved up her neck, jaw line, and to her mouth. They kissed passionately and he traveled back down to the crook of her neck. A soft moan escaped her throat and Nick lifted her to him as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Nick continued kissing her neck, then her lips as he carried her into the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and let his hands roam her body.

They glided over the shirt covering her breasts and down her side and landed on her thighs. He pushed her farther up on the bed. "Wait." He pulled away and stared at her. "We don't have protection…again." She smirked and rolled over on the bed and reached for her nightstand. She opened the drawer and retrieved a box of condoms. Nick gasped and smiled. "Vixen…when did you-"

"When you went back for the milk for your parents I slipped it ahead of everything and asked the cashier to put it in a smaller bag and if she could put it in with the bag of feminine stuff."

Nick smiled and crawled up her body to kiss her fervently. She chuckled and pulled away from him to sit on her knees and lay him back down on the bed. She began to kiss him when he rolled her over and took the lead again. She grunted and tried to flip him back over but couldn't. She tried to move him but couldn't. She couldn't push him over so she pushed him off of her. Nick looked at her confused.

She seemed slightly panicked and Nick frowned and sat up. "Anna, what's wrong?" Nick asked concerned.

She stared at him with a look of slight alarm on her face and her mouth hanging slightly open, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't. She looked to be stuttering to say something but no sound came out. She looked full on scared and she shook her head and closed her eyes. "Biscuits." She whispered and Nick nodded.

"Yes, yeah I kinda got that idea." He moved closer to her. "Anna honey, are you okay?" He laid his hand on her arm and he felt her stiffen underneath his touch. She looked down at his hand in trivial fear and Nick took his hand off of her. "What's going on with you? Tell me." He pleaded and Anna stared at him as though she didn't recognize him.

The ring of the doorbell sounded like the Hallelujah chorus to Anna's ears. Anna quickly jumped off the bed and darted from the room. Nick stared at the door in shock. He couldn't remember when a woman had been so eager to climb **out** of bed and **away **from him. He heard Anna's voice in the living room…she sounded perfectly fine. What had just happened to her? Where had she gone and why had she been so eager to get away from him?

Nick climbed off the bed and walked out of the room, down the hall, and through the French doors to see Anna talking with Greg and Jennifer. They saw him and smiled. "Hey Nick." Jennifer greeted.

"Hey Nicky, we're missin you at the lab." Greg joked and Nick stared a moment then forced a smiled.

"Yeah well…I can't wait to go back. I'm missin ya'll too."

Greg chuckled and Jennifer looked at Anna. "Hey Annie, I need to talk to you." Jennifer motioned to the back of the house and Anna looked at her skeptically, but nodded and the two disappeared behind the doors. She and Anna walked back into her room and Anna closed the door to the hall and the sliding door and turned to face Anna. "Okay, I have a problem."

"Oh shit Jen, please don't tell me you're pregnant."

Jennifer chuckled. "No, but that's what I want to talk to you about."

"Oh holy Hell Jen, please dear God tell me you don't wanna have Greg's babies."

Jennifer laughed. "No! I need to know if you happen to have any condoms…we're both flat broke and outta condoms." Anna chuckled and walked over to the bed. She picked up the pack of condoms and handed them to Jennifer. "You have some for you and Nick right?"

"Yeah." Anna lied and Jennifer smiled.

"Thanks Annie. I seriously owe you big time." She paused and looked around the room. "Why is it so quiet? Where is everyone?"

"Nick's parents are staying at his house, and Regan is at a sleepover."

Jennifer smiled. "Oh so you and Nick are alone…oh! Okay, Greg and I will leave."

"No! No, no, it's fine."

"Hey, go ahead and do your business. Greg and I are going." Jennifer walked out of the room and Anna tried to follow her down the hall. Nick and Greg were sitting on the couch in the living room when the girls walked in. Jen ad shoved the box into her jacket and she motioned for her and Greg to leave. They said their goodbyes as Anna subtly tried to convince them to stay.

Once they had left Anna slowly turned to face Nick, then quickly turned the other way and walked off towards her bedroom. Nick jogged after her. "Anna, Anna we need to talk." He caught up with her and grabbed her arm to turn her to face him. "Anna, what the Hell is goin on with you? One minute we're fine, then the next you freak out, push me off you and act like I'm poison to you. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just not in the mood." She lied and pulled her arm from his grasp and continued walking. Nick followed after her.

"That's bull…what did I do Anna?"

"Nothing."

"Would you quit lying and tell me what's wrong?" Nick ordered and she turned to face him, her features hard.

"Don't yell at me. You can talk civilly."

"Well then quit lying to me. We're supposed to be honest with each other."

"Oh, that's rich. You're lecturing me on honesty. Hypocrisy at its finest." She muttered and walked out of her room, through the sliding glass door and onto the patio.

Nick scowled. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked as he followed her.

"Where were you today?"

Nick paused. "I told you, I was at my apartment with my parents."

"Bull shit." She said sharply. "I called them at 11 and they said you had left an hour ago. Where were you?" She demanded.

Nick sighed. "I had my Tahoe parked down the road…I was thinking."

"About what?"

Nick looked up at her and her fierce green eyes met his deep brown ones. "About my parents."

"What about them?"

"Why the Hell are you being so damn nosey?" Nick snapped and she glared.

"Because, it has to do with me and your mother and I deserve to know."

Nick furred his brows. "How did you know it was about you and my Mom?"

"I didn't I was following a hunch. Thanks for confirming it. What were you thinking about?"

Nick sighed. "About something my Dad said." He looked up to see her raise an eyebrow, urging him to continue. "He uh…he knew about my mom trying to get rid of you." Anna stared at him angrily for a moment, then turned on her heel and walked out towards the gate. He groaned and jogged after her. "Anna this is why I didn't want to tell you. I didn't want to upset you."

"Upset me? I'm not mad about that, okay, maybe a little! I'm mad at the fact that you hid this from me! You lied! You're no better than they are! It's like you said, **honesty**! Apparently your entire family lacks that!" She stormed out the gate and to the docks. She stopped when she was within a few yards from the water and turned to face Nick.

"Look whose yelling now!" He had caught up with her and Nick felt his anger rise. "You wanna talk about honesty? Aright, try this on for size, what's Regan's middle name?"

"What?"

"You heard me Anna, what's Regan's middle name?"

"What the Hell does that have to do with anything?" Anna asked exasperated.

"Nothing. But you said we need to be honest."

Anna looked at him. "Lynn."

Nick raised his eyebrow. "Lynn?" Anna nodded. "Really?"

"Yes. It's Regan Lynn Delmarco." He folded his arms across his chest. "What?" She snapped and glared at him.

"That's not what she said."

"Why do you care?"

"What's her real name?" He asked sharply, his voice rising.

"Why the Hell do you care what her real name is, she goes by Regan, you call her that, I call her that, everybody calls her."

"I just find it odd that you don't like it when you're lied to…and then you told me her name was Regan!"

"Oh, so now I'm a hypocrite?"

"You called me one."

"That's mature." She accused and shook her head. "It's a name; people change them all the time."

"But you didn't."

"What?"

"Not legally anyway."

Anna narrowed her eyes. "How did you know that?" She growled through gritted teeth.

"We had you're file pulled for the case…"

Anna looked at him in disbelief and anger. "I cannot believe you! You researched me!" She snapped and turned on her heel to storm off.

"I was working a case God Damnit! Why the hell are you acting so fucking crazy? I swear, one minute you're fine and the next you're psycho crazy bitch!" Nick exclaimed and knew instantly that he had made a big mistake. He saw her face redden and she stormed off down the side of the lake. Nick ran after her. "Shit. Anna I'm sorry! That was-"

She stopped abruptly and he almost crashed into her. She spun around and glared as she slowly backed him down the shore. "Who the hell do you fucking think you are? You lie to me, curse me out, and have the nerve to call me crazy? You researched me!"

"Anna I'm sorry. I spoke without thinking."

"No you didn't! You never speak without thinking! You always think before you speak, that's who you are! Everything you say is perfectly thought out and planned! You said that to hurt me!"

"I also said I was sorry."

"And that's supposed to make it better! I didn't tell you about Regan's name because it didn't seem to be important."

"The point is, you lied to me first."

"So you did this to get even?" She asked incredulously. When Nick didn't deny it she gritted her teeth and yelled. "God! You act just like-" She began and quickly cut herself off.

Nick raised his eyebrows. "Like who?"

Anna shifted her weight to the other foot and sighed. "Like your mother."

Nick stopped yelling…Anna stopped yelling…they stared at each other in shock. Had she just said that? "Look who's trying to hurt who now." Nick said softly.

Anna simply stared at him and her green eyes welled up with tears as she gulped and looked away, then back to him. "I think you need to go home." She whispered and looked back at him.

"Anna-"

Before he could finish his sentence Anna walked back towards the house and Nick watched her go…feeling guilty, angry, sad, and responsible all at the same time. He knew he hurt her…subconsciously he intended to. And she had hurt him…because he hurt her. Nick hung his head and walked back up to the house. He went through the gate, through the sliding glass doors, and into the dining room. He walked through the hall and looked right to the room in which he was staying, then left to Anna's room.

He turned left and knocked on Anna's door, knowing she wouldn't let him in, but he entered anyway. He saw her cuddled up on her bed, crying. Nick felt his heart break further as he silently walked into the room. He stood on the other side of the bed, her back facing him and he looked up at the bathroom mirror so he could see her face. She was looking down, but she slowly brought her gaze up to meet his. She glared and looked away.

He sat down on the bed but made no move to touch her. He continued looking at her through the mirror. "Please…Anna I'm so sorry."

"I am too." She whispered.

"I know that there's something else bothering you…please, tell me what's wrong. I want to help you." He reached out and touched his fingers to her back. He released a breath he didn't know he was holding when she didn't tense under his touch.

"I can't." She whimpered through her tears and Nick moved his hand down to her waist so he could roll her over. She looked at him with her tear stained face and Nick picked her up by the waist and sat her up so he could hold her and let her cry.

"God Baby…what happened to you?"

She didn't answer, only cried and let him hold her. After a few minutes her weeping had subsided and Nick continued to hold her and stroke her hair. After a few minutes she pulled away to look at him. "Um…" She began her voice cracking.

Nick looked at her confused as she wiped the tears from her face. "What?" He asked and cupped her face with his hands. She sucked in her bottom lip unsure about what she was going to say, and looked away.

"I think you should go now." She said softly and looked out her sliding glass door, trying her best to avoid his gaze. Nick let his jaw fall slightly and he felt his heart fall. He looked at her in hurt and disbelief.

"What?"

"I think it's time for you to go home." She replied softly, hating the words that came from her lips and knew that they were killing the man next to her.

Nick shook his head. "No, I know you're just upset and hurt, that isn't what you want." Nick said trying to convince them both.

Anna paused and finally looked at him. "Yes it is."

"Anna…" Nick began but she moved from his grasp and walked over to the sliding door and looked out it sadly as she wrapped her arms around her waist. "Is this over?" He asked afraid of the answer.

She didn't answer, only dropped her head and held it in her hand. Nick felt his heart beat quicken in fear as he stood from the bed and walked over to her, but leaving space between them. "Anna?" He asked again.

No answer.

He reached out and turned her to face him. He saw that her face was silently flooding with tears. Nick searched her eyes for a prayer that she was lying or bluffing, or a combination of the two…there was nothing. He gulped back his tears and looked at her pleadingly. She finally closed her eyes, sucked in her lips to keep from sobbing, and nodded.

He waited for her to take it back. To say she was lying or bluffing, or a combination of the both. Nick finally realized she wasn't going to, and walked out of her room angrily. He moved so fast that her hair wiped into her face and stuck to her tears. She let out a soft sob as he went into his own room and began throwing his clothes into his bag and grabbing his things from the nightstand. He zipped his bag and walked from the room; glancing back to make sure it was clean, and walked out of the hall, through the dining room and kitchen, and to the front door.

Anna stood behind the small wall separating the foyer from the living room. She heard him slide on his shoes and slam the door on his way out. She jumped slightly and covered her mouth to keep from crying. She came from around the corner and walked to the door. She paused and scurried back to the living room and pulled back the curtains to watch him pull out of the driveway. He was visibly upset and Anna felt her heart break.

She couldn't do it. She couldn't watch another one leave…especially not this one. She ran to the front door and ran onto the porch to see him pulling out, he didn't see her. He drove down the road and she ran to the end of the drive to see him leave…to try and stop him. If he had seen her in his rearview he hadn't make it known. She watched his black Tahoe get smaller in the distance and she felt a tear fall.

And so did she.

She fell to her knees and cried. She pushed him away. She had done it again…she had broke his heart…and her own…but this time; she didn't do it for herself and to keep her secrets safe. She did it for him. She did it to keep him safe.

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**Willows' Residence**

**6:12 p.m.**

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"Girls, Dinner!" Catherine called from the kitchen. Warrick emerged from the bedroom and Catherine laughed. "How come you're the only one who comes when I call for 'the girls'?"

Warrick rolled his eyes. "I heard 'dinner'."

Catherine chuckled and the two girls emerged from Lindsey's room. Lindsey had her eyebrow arched in confusion and Regan continued elaborating the facts of Lindsey's Algebra homework and Catherine suppressed a smile. "How's the homework coming?"

Lindsey sighed, "Slow."

Regan smirked. "But we're getting it done."

"Now tell me this, Regan, you help Lindsey with her homework and school…how does she help you?"

Lindsey smiled. "I tell her how I make so many friends and explain the facts of life and how to be cool."

Catherine shook her head and dropped her jaw. "Well, try to get everything you can into your brains right now." She remarked.

"Why?"

"Because when Anna gets a little piece of Lindsey in her house she'll never speak to us again." Catherine joked and Lindsey rolled her eyes. Warrick chuckled and shook his head.

"What's for dinner?"

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**Sanders Residence**

**6:31 p.m.**

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Greg and Jennifer lay in his bed panting and sweating. That had been round three…an on-going cycle with them. Greg smiled and rolled over to kiss her affectionately. "Wow." He said and she chuckled.

"The kiss or the sex?"

"The kiss…the sex was a, 'Whoa!'." Greg replied and Jennifer chuckled. He rolled off of her and took her by the hand. "C'mon, we're goin to take a shower." Greg joked and Jennifer laughed.

"Alright, but we can't be too long, you've gotta be at work in a few hours…and I missed work…I hope they didn't fire me."

"Nah, Anna probably took care of it."

"Yeah…that girl can bluff like there's no tomorrow."

"Remind me to never play poker with her." Greg joked and yanked her into the bathroom and tossed her against the wall and devoured her neck. She moaned and yanked back the curtain to the shower as Greg turned on the water. She jumped up and wrapped her legs around him and he carefully stepped into the shower. "Ready for round four?" He growled and she smiled deviously and yanked the curtain closed.

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**Stokes Residence**

**7:20 p.m.**

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Nick had been staring at his ceiling for almost three hours. The minute he left Anna's he went out and bought a six pack…he was half way through it. He hardly ever drank anymore…but he felt the need for some Bud Light and a little football. He couldn't believe what had happened, nevertheless understand it.

He knew that something was wrong, besides her knowledge of him lying to her. But she couldn't tell him. She had hurt him. It was a pain he hadn't felt in a long time…not since Kristy Hopkins. Nick instantly remembered the time he and Anna were first sitting out by the docks…the night it all came back.

They had been sitting under the docks when he first thought about her in a long time…

_Anna kicked off her flip flops and sat them next to her so she could stick her feet in the ice cold water. A lone water lily floated towards Anna's pearl pink toe nails and she picked up the lily with her toes. A crisp breeze rolled n from off the waters and Anna inhaled deeply. _

_She sighed. "I love that smell." Nick looked at her long brown hair blowing in the breeze and a smile spread across her lips. Her smile lit the night sky. A gold lining formed around her pupils and stood out dramatically against her Amazon green eyes. Nick frowned slightly. "What's wrong?" She asked. _

"_Nothing. You just…"_

"_I just 'what'?" _

"_You remind me of someone that's all." _

"_Who?" _

_Nick stared at her a moment, "No one." _

"_Aww, come on. Tell me." She begged and grabbed his arm. "Please." Nick chuckled at her. _

"_Don't worry about it." _

He never did tell her who she reminded him of just then. As her long brown hair blew in the wind, a big beautiful smile spread on her lips, and the love of the simplicity of where she was and what she was doing had brought back all his memories. She had reminded him of Kristy that night. He remembered how he had felt when he found out she had died. It hurt…it hurt more when everyone around him thought he had been the one to kill her.

She was the first person he had ever really loved. And the fact that everyone thought he would hurt her…it tore him apart. But there was one person who didn't think that and wanted to help him through it. Catherine.

She had been his saving grace. She was like a mother to him. After she had cleared his name she drove him home and he spilled his heart out to her. He told her all about Kristy…about how she was the one woman he had ever loved. About how she was the only one he really wanted to be with that way. Out of all the women since the babysitter…she was the one he wanted to be with.

Catherine was always the one he could talk to. He could always rely on her motherly support to help him through anything. She always had the right advice, even when he didn't want to hear it. She cared about him and he was grateful for that…he needed her motherly support now…but he couldn't go see her. Regan was there and he didn't want to alert her that anything was wrong.

Even though she would find out soon enough. He hadn't only hurt him and Anna; he knew it was going to tear that sweet and innocent little girl apart. Nick moaned and dragged his hand across his face. He really needed to talk to Catherine. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed her number.

She answered on the second ring.

"Hey Nicky."

"Hey Catherine." He said trying to keep his voice steady. It failed.

"What happened?" She asked knowingly.

Nick sighed. "I'm not quite sure." He leaned forward and rested his forehead in his hand and closed his eyes.

"Did the two of you fight?"

"How'd ya know?" He drawled, the beer affecting his accent.

"You called from your house phone and I doubted that you'd be going home when you had two great girls at a house with a spare room for you."

Nick sighed and he felt the tears coming again. He gulped them back and leaned against the couch cushions. "Yeah…only that offer's not there anymore." Nick replied morosely.

"Do you need to talk?"

"Yeah…but I can't at your house because Regan's there…and I kinda can't drive."

Catherine sighed. "Nicky…" She said in a warning tone but sighed again. "I'll get Rick to watch the kids. I'm on my way…sit tight."

Nick nodded even though he knew she couldn't see him. "Thanks Cath." he said, his voice cracking.

"I'll be there soon."

Nick hung up and sat back, trying to compose himself.

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**Stokes Residence **

**Thursday May 12, 2004**

**12:16 a.m.**

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Nick sat back on his sofa and let Catherine's words sink in. He had told her everything…**everything**. The first time they met, all his feelings, how she had reminded him of Kristy, the problem with his parents, their fight…everything.

"Nicky, you can't give up on her…if you really think there's something worth saving…then save it. I know you, and now that you know there's something wrong, and deeper problems that lie within her…you're gonna want to try and save her. But you can't her. You can save your relationship and you can save Regan from heart break…but you can only help Anna. But you have to have her permission. You can't walk through her door and be Hell bent on getting to the bottom of this and what lies beneath her excellent cover. Because the harder you push and push to help her, the harder she's going to push you away. I know you want to help her…so help her…don't force it."

Nick took in the information. "How do I get her permission without pissin her off or with her kickin me out?" Nick drawled.

Catherine sighed. "Well…tell me again what exactly happened towards the end. What really made her snap?"

"I said she wasn't honest with me and called her a hypocrite…and uh…a 'crazy psycho bitch'." Nick bit his lip knowing Catherine was going to flip.

Catherine's jaw dropped and her eyes bulged and she reached over and slapped him upside the back of his Greg, a punishment normally reserved for Greg. "What the Hell Nick? Were you drunk off your ass! I can't believe you made it out of there alive!"

"Barely." Nick said and sighed he rested his elbows on his knees and reached for his beer.

"No." Catherine said and swatted his hand away.

"Then she said I needed to go and I followed her into the house and she laid on her bed and cried…then I apologized, a lot, and she said she was sorry too, then I asked her what was really wrong. She said she couldn't tell me. So I held her and let her cry…and then after a while she said I had to go. I told her I knew she was only sayin that 'cause she was hurt and she didn't want that…but she did." He paused and looked at his folded hands and choked back his tears. "And I got up and left…"

"You shouldn't have left."

"I know."

"You have to get her back."

"How?"

Catherine sighed and took a sip of his beer. Nick watched her and awaited her answer. "Well…"

**

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A/N: AHH! Cliffhanger. And I know, I'm focusing on everyone but the GSR…sorry. But I've got enough stories about them.**

Okay…be nice and review and I'll update…until then…you won't know what happens. I want LOTS of reviews otherwise I'm abandoning this story and I'll leave it at Nick and Anna separate for good…

--evil laugh--

Update please.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Alright, ya'll know the drill…song lyrics in italicizes and you guessed it…I don't own 'em.

Whatever Nick writes is underlined…yep, I own that.

Know what I don't own?

Yep, the characters, you know the ones, and Friends…the TV show, not that I don't have friends…I don't sit at my computer all day and not go out of my room to socialize with people because I don't like them…I have friends…my computer is my friend… :)

When Nick sings (yes he sings) it's italicized and in quotations…and (as guessed) I don't own the songs… (as always)

Flashbacks…displayed as so… **/-/ Flashback /-/** _then everything that is being flashed back on is italicized… back to present day and time_ **/-/ Present /-/**

Alright, its officially now rated **M**…cause I cuss and adult situations

**

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Chapter 12: "Welcome to an adult relationship…what's your next move?"**

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**Al's Diner**

**Thursday **

**May 12, 2004**

**8:04 a.m.**

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Anna walked into the diner in a despondent mood. Almost an hour after Nick had left Anna had finally picked herself up of the ground, she had laid there in hopes that he would come back, and threw herself into her bed and cried. She cried herself to sleep, and all the way through the night. She cried in her dreams, she woke up crying, she cried in the shower, and had to re-do her make-up multiple times and finally decided to give up…the irony of it was that was what had gotten her into this mess in the first place.

She had put on her black short shorts, white polo shirt, and tennis shoes. She straightened her hair and clipped it all up on her head, and several pieces kept falling in her face.

She sighed and began to tie on her apron as she walked into the diner. She walked to the back of the diner and went through the door to check in with their boss. He had sent her behind the counter. She was writing down a few men's orders who were sitting at the counter when Jen showed up. "Hey Annie-Lee, you're here early." Jen observed and Anna sighed tiredly.

"Yeah, didn't get much sleep last night." Anna stated. She had fallen asleep around three, and woken up at six. Jen didn't pay her comment any attention.

Jennifer flashed Anna a beautiful smile, so gorgeous Anna cracked a small smile herself. "Oh God, Greg is soooo great! Not to mention he's amazing in bed. But he's so sweet too! He made me breakfast and then we cuddled on the couch until he had to go to work. God he's great!" Anna, thank you soooo much for setting that party up!" She hugged Anna and Anna chuckled sadly and shook her head.

"You're welcome Honey."

"What's wrong Babe?" Jennifer asked as she tied on her apron. Anna finished taking the customers orders, hooked them on Mac's window. Anna sighed and rubbed her temples as her previous orders came up at Mac's window. She grabbed the orders and walked from behind the counter to the table. Jennifer followed her and Anna sighed and whispered.

"Nick and I broke up."

"What!" Jennifer screamed, alerting several patrons.

Anna frowned and set the orders down, and led Jen away. "Nick and I broke up last night."

"Why?" Jen whined. "You two were so happy."

"Yeah well, happiness tends to be diminished when you're cussed at and lied to."

Jen raised her eyebrow and dropped her jaw. "He did what?" She hissed sharply.

Anna shook her head and sighed. "Look, I'm tired and weak, and I haven't eaten in almost two days…I really don't wanna talk about this now." Anna whined and Jennifer enveloped her in a hug.

"Babe…I'm so sorry. God, when Greg and I get a hold if him…"

Anna shook her head. "No…don't."

Jennifer sighed and nodded. "Fine…Greg and I won't kill him. But when he eats here I am so serving him sneezers."

Anna rolled her eyes and gave a small smile and hugged Jen again. "No…just leave him alone."

Mac rang his bell and drew Anna's attention. She pulled away from Jen to deliver her orders. She went back to grab her coffee pot and went over to a lone couple and poured them coffee with a small, sad, smile. They thanked her and she nodded. She poured coffee for the couple next to them when she heard it.

The over head radio had been turned up so it could be heard over the noise when Anna heard her name from the DJ. "Hey everybody out there. I just got another request in. This one's for Anna Delmarco, the caller's unknown…but I think the song speaks for itself. Here it is, Anna, I hope you're listening."

With that the beginning chords to the song began to play, and the Goo Goo Dolls filled the diner.

_And I didn't think about all the ways I hurt you and myself. And I wouldn't say a thing to you I keep it to myself in my mind. _

She recognized the song…but she couldn't quite place it.

_And I can't stand without you and I won't find the answers when you're gone. But it's over to you I can't find the answers when you're gone. And it's over to you, but you can't find the answer where you are_.

She knew who it was from…it was obvious. What wasn't obvious was why he was doing this.

_And you know I need you now. And this ain't easy to admit, but no one needs to know what goes on behind the door in my room. I'm kicking through the walls in my mind._

That was when she saw him. He walked through the door of the diner and stood there, looking sorry…and missing her. He simply stared at her with tear filled eyes and a broken heart. Anna slowly lowered her jaw and stared at him, like he was staring at her.

_And I can't stand without you, and I won't find the answers when you're gone. But it's over to you I can't find the answers when you're gone. And it's over to you, you can't find the answers where you are. _

The people around them began to murmur, but they didn't hear them. They were too focused on how they felt…sorry.

Everyone waited with anticipation to see what his next move would be…

There was none.

They both just stared at each other. Anna with her coffee pot and apron, and a few stray hairs that fell in her face. And Nick with his hands in his pockets, watching her longingly.

_I won't tear you down, I won't tear you down, to get into the world you wanted. I'm kicking through the walls but no one can believe in things that never change. _

She felt her heart beat quicken as he realized what he was trying to say. He didn't want it to end. He wasn't ready to give up. He couldn't be without her. Everyone began 'ooh-ing' and 'ahh-ing' as they saw the scene before them and how much he really cared about her.

_But it's over to you. I can't find the answers when you're gone. And it's over to you, you can't find the answers where you are. And it's over to you, I can't find the answers when you're gone, and I can't find the answers when you're gone. I can't find the answers when you're gone. _

She watched him, too shell shocked to move. He made no attempt to move, nor touch her. Yet he didn't move to leave.

Just then the DJ came back over the radio.

"That was It's Over by the Goo Goo Dolls. Hope you liked that Anna Delmarco, but stay tuned girl, we've got another one comin your way. Here it is, another Goo Goo Dolls hit…the caller said this one was sentimental and that I had to play it at exactly 9:21 a.m. …I'm not sure why. But here we go."

The beginning chords to the song. Nick gave a small crooked smile and sent her swooning.

_And I'd give up forever to touch you_

Anna felt a tug on her apron and turned to see a little girl with a red rose in her hand. Anna tried to suppress the grin spreading across her face, but failed miserably. She accepted the rose and turned to look at Nick, knowing he was behind this.

_'cause I know that you feel me somehow. _

Another person came up to her and handed her a red rose and Anna chuckled through her tears and accepted it.

_You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be and I don't want to go home right now. _

As figured, another person came up and handed her a red rose. She looked back over at Nick and shook her head while laughing. Nick gave a Texas sized grin and rocked on his heels and winked at her.

_And all I can taste is this moment and all I can breathe is your life._

With each line of the song a new person stood up and gave her a beautiful red rose.

_'Cause sooner or later it's over I just don't want to miss you tonight. _

Anna felt tears of happiness fall on her cheeks as each person handed her a rose and Nick's boyish grin grew with each rose.

_And I don't want the world to see me._

_'Cause I don't think that they'd understand._

_When everything's made to be broken, _

_I just want you to know who I am. _

With each of these lyrics Anna was handed two white roses with a red ribbon tied around them. Each ribbon had a small slip of paper to it each containing one word each. She lined up the small tags in the order they were handed to her and they spelled a message, I am sorry Anna.

She smiled lovingly at him and he returned a small smile, showing his humbleness.

_And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming, _

Anna once again received a red rose.

_Or the moment of truth in your lies._

Another red rose.

_When everything feels like the movies,_

A red rose.

_Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive. _

A beautiful red rose…Anna now had 9 red roses and 8 white roses…she was holding them in her arms and shaking her head at Nick while chuckling.

_And I don't want the world to see me,_

_'Cause I don't think that they'd understand. _

_When everything's made to be broken, _

_I just want you to know who I am._

With each of this chorus' lyrics she was handed three pink roses tied together with a white ribbon. Each set contained hand written words from Nick. She took the first set of roses and read them.

Anna, if you're reading this… 

The next patron handed her the set of roses.

…then you haven't slapped me and kicked me out of the diner.

She chuckled as the next person gave her the roses.

I'm so sorry that I hurt you…I want you to know that I would never intentionally do that to you. I know there's no excuse for what I did. I know I kept the knowledge of my Dad's awareness of my mother's intention's a secret because I saw how hurt you were when you found out my mother's intentions…

She picked up the last set of roses.

…and you had suspected that. I didn't think that I would hurt you as much as I did, and our fight obviously spiraled out of control. Just as I had my reasons for keeping my secrets from you, I know that you have your reasons in keeping your secrets from me…I'm sorry that I pushed you to tell me. If you don't want to talk about it…that's fine. But if you do, anywhere, anytime, I'll listen. If you ever need someone to talk to…as a friend…I'm here for you.

The break and solo to the song ended and the lyrics started up again.

_And I don't want the world to see me, _

'_Cause I don't think that they'd understand._

_  
When everything's made to be broken,_

_  
I just want you to know who I am._

_And I don't want the world to see me, _

_'Cause I don't think that they'd understand._

_  
When everything's made to be broken,_

With each of these lyrics she was once again handed a single red rose with a pink ribbon, then a white ribbon tied around the stem. She smiled and locked eyes with Nick.

_I just want you to know who I am. _

Just then Catherine came through the diner doors and handed Anna a huge vase of a dozen long stem red roses. Anna laughed out of the humor she found in the situation and accepted the vase. Catherine hugged the young woman and smiled as she passed her to go and stand behind her.

_I just want you to know who I am._

Sara came through the doors with a vase of roses, the same as Catherine had and handed them to Anna. Anna smiled and took the vase and set it next to the other one on the table next to her, along with her other couple dozen roses.

_I just want you to know who I am. _

This time Jennifer walked through the doors and handed Anna a vase of roses and Anna gasped in surprise. Jen had known about this the whole time. Jennifer shrugged and smiled innocently. She went and stood behind Anna with the other two women.

_I just want you to know who I am. _

The last person to come through the door carrying a large vase of long stem red roses was Regan. She wore a huge grin as she walked up to Anna and handed them to her. Anna chuckled and bent down to kiss Regan and accept the vase. She smiled and scurried over to join the other women.

The song began to fade as the ending came and Anna stared at Nick in shock, adoration, and disbelief.

She ducked her head and shook it, then looked back up and locked eyes with him. "Whoa." Was all she could say before she smiled from ear to ear and let herself cry. Everyone around them let out a timely 'awwww' and Anna chuckled in embarrassment. Nick smiled and let her make the move…he was trying not to push. "That was uh…" She sniffled and smiled as she wiped away her tears. "That was friggin amazing." She blurted and earned a laugh from everyone.

Nick flashed his signature 'Nick Stokes' smile that could melt an ice berg and chuckled.

"That was definitely the best 'I'm sorry' I've ever gotten…I don't know how I can top that." She joked and Nick took a couple steps toward her, but stopped and waited for a sign of permission. She smiled and gave a slight nod and Nick walked fully towards her, his hands were still behind his back and he was standing very straight with a small smirk.

"Well…" He began uttering the first words he had in a long time. "I think I know how we can be even…"

She grinned and blushed at the sound of his voice and took another step towards her. They were within a foot of each other, locked in each other's stares and forgetting that everyone else was around them. The diner was unusually quiet except for the occasional murmur. "Well…?"

"How about being my girlfriend again?" He asked timidly and stepped closer to her, so that they were now within inches of each other.

She stared at him blankly for what seemed like the longest ten seconds of his life. Everyone around them held their breaths and waited anxiously for her answer. She smiled, "Even." She replied and Nick's lips crashed into hers. Everyone cheered and Anna and Nick smiled through their kiss. She threw her arms around his neck and when they pulled apart Nick planted a series of pecks on her lips, and cheek, and jaw, then nestled his head in her neck and tickled her quickly.

She giggled and he picked her up and spun her around. Everyone applauded, but it was lost on the couple. Anna's lips smothered Nick's…but he didn't seem to mind. She jumped up and swung her legs around his waist in an innocent

first-love kind of way. Nick chuckled and set his hands on the small of her back to hold her up.

"I got a confession…" Nick said seriously. Anna sucked in a breath and braced herself for what he was about to say. She gulped and looked him in the eye worriedly. Nick sighed and searched her beautiful green Amazon eyes. "When we were apart for those unbearably long 16 and half hours…I felt like dying." Nick replied and cracked a smile. She returned one despite her best efforts and playfully swatted his arm.

"Don't do that. I thought you were gonna tell me somethin horrible…like you thought we were on a break and you went out and slept with some girl like Ross did on Friends."

Nick looked at Anna seriously. "We weren't on a break? We didn't break up? I thought we did…" He let his thought trail off as Anna's grip on him loosened and she started breathing heavily and her face took on a dreaded expression. Nick cracked a mischievous smile. "Just kiddin." He drawled and chuckled, knowing what was coming.

She swatted the back of his head and slid off of him. "I'm gonna kick your ass!" She declared half joking. Nick chuckled at how flushed she was getting and reached out to grab her arm. She jerked away mock-angrily. "Oh get bent." She grumbled and Nick chuckled and took her hand gently and brought her tiny frame into his strong one.

She scrunched her nose as though she didn't want him to hold her…but the smile playing on her lips didn't help the lie. Nick chuckled and Catherine scoffed from a few feet away, having witnessed the scene. "Look at that, he's had her back for two minutes and he already fucked up." Catherine remarked casually and everyone around her dropped their jaws. She looked down and saw Regan and realized what she had said. She gasped. "I mean screwed up! Oh! I mean messed up! Damn! Oh!" She threw her arms in the air aggravated and Anna chuckled.

"Hey, don't worry about it Cath, it isn't anything she hasn't heard me yell a couple times."

Nick shook his head and kissed the top of hers. "Potty mouth." He mumbled.

"Am not." She denied and he chuckled again. Nick kissed her head again and she sighed. "I have to work." She said softly knowing that he would be whining.

"You're a workaholic! You're worse than Sara!" He accused jokingly.

"_Hey_." Came Sara's well crafted defense. Everyone who knew her turned to look at her, "Yeah okay." She admitted and slumped her shoulders. Jennifer patted her shoulder and smiled at her sadly.

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**Delmarco Residence**

**9:52 p.m.**

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Anna, Nick, and Regan poured their tried bodies through the front door and Regan dragged herself to her room. "Anna…I'm goin to sleep." She replied and Anna chuckled.

"Brush your teeth!" Anna called and she and Nick plopped down on the sofa. Anna sighed and Nick grabbed her feet and dragged them over his lap, turning her body so that she was lying back comfortably on the couch. Nick slid off her tennis shoes and ankle socks and began rubbing her feet. She moaned and smiled as she closed her eyes and relaxed. "Nicky…" She moaned softly and Nick chuckled.

"You worked a hard shift today…I wanted to make your dogs stop howlin'." Nick drawled and she chuckled.

"You spoil me baby."

Nick laughed, "Well I'm gonna start."

She shook her head. "Nope. Not allowed."

"Too bad…I'm breakin the rules." He drawled and leaned over for a kiss. She chuckled as he pulled away and continued rubbing her feet, heels, and ankles. About twenty minutes later Nick carefully slid Anna's feet off of him and kissed her head. He stood to leave and she grabbed his arm, her eyes still closed. Nick looked back at her and smirked. "Sneaky." He accused.

"Where do you think you're goin?" She asked in a deep sleepy voice.

"I'm goin home baby…"

"Hmm…no you're not."

"Oh I'm not?" He asked smirking as she pulled on his hand to lower him to the couch so that he was lying next to her.

"Nope." She shook her head and gave a small smile, her eyes still closed. Nick chuckled and turned to face her and pulled her close to him.

"So where am I sleeping?"

"You're gonna hold me all night long, and I'm gonna hold you all night long, and we're gonna fall asleep in each other's arms, in my bed that feels like a cloud…because I sleep best when you're holding me." She said warmly and Nick felt his heart melt. He kissed the top of her head and held her body close to his.

"Well…sounds like a plan." Nick said softly and she snuggled next to him. "Come on." Nick stood up and scooped her up in his arms. She chuckled and wrapped her arms around his neck and he walked through the house and into her room. He set her on her bed and kissed her forehead. "I'll be back, I'm gonna check on Regan." Nick said and Anna chuckled.

"Isn't that my job as the older sister?"

He kissed her gently on the lips. "Maybe, but you look very cute and very comfortable so I'm takin over for tonight." He said and walked out of the room. She chuckled and rolled off the bed and into the bathroom so she could get ready for bed.

Nick walked quietly down the hall and poked his head into Regan's room. "You asleep Sugar?" He asked quietly.

"No." Came her muffled reply. Nick chuckled and walked into the room.

"What's wrong Darlin'?"

She sighed and sat up. "I thought I was tired…but I can't get to sleep."

Nick chuckled and pulled the chair from her desk over to sit down next to her bed. "Well, what does Anna do to get you back to sleep?"

"She sings to me."

"Sugar, I can't carry a note for the life of me." He drawled.

"Have you ever heard Anna sing?" Regan asked and Nick chuckled.

"No."

"Then you're lucky…"

"Well…what do you want me to sing?"

"I don't know…what songs do you know?"

"Um…a lot of country songs."

"Okay."

Nick sighed. "Alright…_Well I'll never forget the first time that I heard,_ _that pretty mouth say that dirty word. And I can't even remember now, what she backed my truck into, but she covered her mouth and her face got red, and she just looked so darn cute. That I couldn't, even act like, I was mad. Yeah I live for, little moments, like that_."

"_Well that's like just last year on my birthday, she lost all track of time and burnt the cake. And every smoke detector, in the house was goin off. And she was just about to cry until I took her in my arms. And I tried not, to let her see, me laugh. Yeah I live for, little moments, like that." _

Nick paused and Regan smiled as he sang the next verse as Anna silently crept up next to the door, having heard something and came to investigate. _"I know she's not perfect, but she tries so hard for me. And I thank god that she isn't, 'cause how boring would that be. It's the little imperfections, it's the sudden change in plans. When she misreads the directions, and we're lost but holdin' hands. Yeah I live for little moments like that."_

Nick paused again and Regan smiled wider, as did Anna, as she heard him continue.

"_When she's layin' on my shoulder, on the sofa in the dark. And about the time she falls asleep, so does my right arm. And I want so bad to move it, 'cause it's tinglin' and it's numb. But she looks so much like and angel that I don't wanna wake her up. Yeah I live for, little moments, when she steals my heart again and doesn't even know it. Yeah I live for, little moments like that."_

Regan smiled and chuckled, "Who was that?"

"Brad Paisley, Little Moments…alright, scale of 1-10…how bad was it?"

"Hmmm…five."

"Better than I expected." Nick joked and stood up. "Alright Sweetheart, go to sleep." He bent over and kissed the top of her head and pulled the sheets up to her chin. "'Night Darlin."

"Good night Nick." She said and Nick walked out of the room and saw Anna in the hallway. He smiled and blushed.

"Tell me you didn't hear that."

She smiled deviously and chuckled. "I'd be lying." Nick chuckled and shook his head. "You were cute." She informed him as they walked back to her room.

"Oh really?" He replied and Anna nodded.

"Yep…will you sing for me?"

"But I suck."

She laughed and crawled on the bed. Nick watched as her boy short/ girly boxers crept up on her but as she did so and gave a crooked smile. "It's the way you sing more than the sound of your voice. You have fun when you sing."

He chuckled. "Well…thank you…I don't have anything to sleep in." He replied changing the subject.

She rolled her eyes playfully and crawled back to the end of the bed. "So difficult." She murmured and Nick smirked. She stood on her knees so that she was level with his chest and she brought her hands to the hem of his shirt and pulled it swiftly off his body. She pulled the belt off his pants, unbuttoned them, and slid them off of him. "Sleep in your boxers." She replied and crawled back up the bed.

Nick shook his head. "Tease."

"Sorry…you could have done it yourself ya know." She pointed out Nick chuckled. He crawled to her feet and straddled her long tan legs as he crawled up them and met her with a kiss. She smiled and set her book down and cupped his scruffy face in her hands. She was still sitting up and he was on all fours, limbs surrounding her. She rubbed her hands on his cheeks and pulled away. "You didn't shave yesterday."

He shook his head. "I didn't sleep either."

She smiled and kissed him, then pulled away. "I cried myself to sleep." She informed him and he kissed her again.

"Sorry." He apologized.

She scoffed. "No, really? I couldn't tell with that wonderful display in the greasy spoon today…classy." She wiggled her eyebrows and Nick chuckled.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were a redneck."

Anna laughed and Nick kissed her again. "Silly boy." She shook her head and Nick kissed her chin, then left a trail of kisses down her neck, and chest, and rested his head on her chest. "Are you looking down my tank top?" She asked trying not to smile.

"Yes." Nick answered honestly and she slid beneath him so that he was looking in her eyes. "Ah, a much better view." He said looking into her Amazon green eyes. The lamp on her nightstand dimly lit the room, causing a golden ring to form around her pupils. Nick smiled. "Your eyes are gorgeous baby." He replied and kissed her forehead.

"Quiet the romantic aren't we?"

Nick chuckled and rolled over next to her and enveloped her in his arms immediately. "Yep."

"Sing me a song?" She asked and Nick arched his brow.

"What?"

"Sing me a song please."

Nick chuckled. "I suck."

"And I bring up my case from before…I love it when you sing…please." She pouted and looked up at him. He smiled.

"What do you want me to sing?"

"I don't care."

"How about I turn on the radio for you."

"Nick…I wanna hear _you _sing." He sighed. "I could care less if you sang me Barney…I just wanna hear you sing to me."

"_The strands in your eyes, that color them wonderful stop me, and steal my breath. Emeralds from mountains, thrust towards the sky. Never revealing their depth. Tell me that we belong together, dress it up with the trappings of love. I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips. Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above. I'll be your cryin' shoulder, I'll be love suicide. I'll be better when I'm older, I'll be the greatest fan of your life." _

He stopped and she smiled. "_And rain falls, angry on the tin roof as we lie awake in my bed. You're my survival, you're my living proof my love is alive and not dead. Tell me that we belong together, dress it up in the trappings of love. I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips, instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above. I've dropped out, burned up, fought my way back from the dead. Tuned in, turned on, remembered the thing you said. And I'll be your cryin' shoulder, I'll be love's suicide. And I'll be better when I'm older, I'll be the greatest fan of your life. And I'll be your cryin' shoulder, I'll be love's suicide. And I'll be better when I'm older, I'll be the greatest fan of your life. The greatest fan of your life." _

He finished and Anna grinned from ear to ear. "That was so much better than Barney." She remarked and Nick chuckled.

"Thank you." Nick replied and she snuggled tighter into his embrace. She nodded and kissed his chest. Nick inhaled the scent of her hair and rested his head on top of hers. Nick couldn't help but think about how happy he was to have this woman back in his arms…and how he never wanted to let her go.

With that thought in his mind, he drifted off to sleep with her in his mind.

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**Delmarco Residence**

**Friday May 13, 2004 **

**7:01 a.m.**

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Anna rolled over in her bed and outstretched her arm to grab Nick. When she didn't feel him there her eyes shot open and she sat up. She looked over at her clock and frowned. "Shit!" She had to get Regan to school. "Why didn't Nick wake me up?" She moaned and looked over to see a handwritten note by Nick with flowers on top of it. She smiled and rolled over on her stomach to grab the note.

Mornin' Sugar, 

Sorry I didn't wake you but you looked so darn cute I decided to let you sleep. Jennifer called and said that Carol came back in today so you now have the day off. (Yay) And as you know, today is my day off also…I requested more time… (smiles guiltily) I just can't get enough of you Darlin'. 

I got Regan ready and off to school (on time) and ran by my house to grab a shower and some clothes. My parents left last night so I had to clean up. I'm goin to the store for some stuff and I'll be back around ten or so. I'm missin you every step I take, mile I drive, and minute I'm without you. I'll see you when I get back, and if you're not up…you will be. (said suggestively as I wait for you to roll your eyes and envision slapping me upside the back of the head like you do Greg). 

Anna laughed because that was exactly what she was thinking.

I miss you Sweetheart, and I'll be back as fast as I can…for now, I left my body spray on your nightstand, if you miss me too horribly, pile up pillows, spray 'em with my body spray, and pretend I'm still with you. 

Missin you till I see your smiling face, 

- Nick 

Anna smiled and rolled back over on her back and brought the flowers to her nose, then looked back at the note.

P.S. The flowers are, 2 white lilac stems and a cream and pink iris flower. They reminded me of you… (I don't really know why but they did). 

She chuckled and looked over at the large empty space on her bed. She pilled up pillows and sprayed them with his body spray, then laid back down and tried to pretend like he was still there. "God I'm a looser." She mumbled to herself, knowing that she would have never done this with any other man she had ever dated. She sighed and snuggled in closer to the pillows and fell asleep dreaming she was in Nick's arms.

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**Delmarco Residence**

**9:53 a.m.**

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Nick slid the key from inside the replica rock that was holding Anna's spare key and unlocked the front door. He locked the door behind him as he kicked off his shoes and walked through the silent house. He chuckled when he realized that she was still asleep. He set the bags on the counter as he walked through the kitchen, dinning room, and into her room. He inhaled sharply when he saw her sleeping peacefully in the bed.

She appeared to be sleeping naked, and a white terry cloth towel was peeking out from underneath the sheets. He walked over to the bed and sat down next to her sleeping form and brushed a long piece of brown hair from her face and leaned down to kiss her cheek. Nick looked down at her sleeping form covered by a white satin sheet. It was draped to the small of her back and covered her bare chest se she laid on her stomach and snuggled the pillows that smelled like him. He chuckled and brought his right arm to the other side of her so that his upper abdomen was twisted and he was leaning over her while sitting.

He kissed her shoulder gently and Anna sighed and moaned as she rolled over to lay on her back. The top of the sheet was draping dangerously low to the mound of her breast and Nick brushed her hair out of her face and took her smaller hand in his. He leaned back down a third time and gently kissed her lips like Sleeping Beauty.

She started softly kissing back and shifted her legs up so that they brushed Nick's side. He felt her other hand trail up his arm and end on the back of his neck, begging him closer. He shifted his body so that he was now laying beside her and the hand that he was holding pulled his arm over so that he was shifting his body on top of hers. Nick's legs straddled hers and she moaned as Nick's hand traveled down her side and landed on her hip. She arched her back up to be pressed into his. Her other hand came up and rested on the area of his back between his shoulder blades. Her nails dug into his shirt and pulled at the soft fabric of his navy blue T-shirt. Nick's hand went under the sheets and under the soft skin of her back to hold her closer to him.

She moaned and brought her knee up to brush his inner thigh. He sucked in a breath and kissed her more passionately. She moaned against his mouth and grinded her hips against his. Nick's hand traveled from under her back, down the silky skin of her side and rested on her hip. His hand that was resting on her other hip dove under the blanket, only to return to it's position but this time it was blocked by the terry cloth towel. Nick pulled away from her mouth and looked at her. "Why are you wearing nothing but a towel?"

She chuckled and played with the ends of his hair, "I was going to take a shower but I made the mistake of sitting on the bed and I fell asleep."

"Sleepy girl." He remarked and she chuckled. His lips crashed into hers again as he grabbed the towel and ripped it from between them. Knowing that all the separated them was his clothes and a thin white sheet drove Nick wild. His hand went to her back and sat her up straight and held her body to his. The sheet was still covering her front but not her back. Nick drug his lazy fingers over her sides and spine as she tore his shirt from his body. She continued to kiss him, un-buckle his belt and tear it from his pants.

She went for the button of his jeans when they heard a knock at the door. They stopped momentarily and Nick locked eyes with her. "Screw them." She growled and Nick chuckled.

"I'd rather screw you." He joked and she chuckled but a look of horror crossed her face.

"Shit."

"What?"

"I gave Jen our condoms the other day."

"I figured that. I bought some at the store while I was out."

"Where are they?"

"The counter."

"In the kitchen?" He nodded and she paused. "Be careful when you're in there. That front door is thin as paper and if they go around back they'll see you."

Nick nodded and reluctantly pulled away from her. Anna waited till he was out of the room to jump from the bed and run into her bathroom. She tried to fix her hair and put on some lip gloss and sprayed some light perfume on. She scurried over to the sliding door in her room to turn the blinds up so that some light poured through the room but it was still semi-dark. She ran back over to the bed and waited anxiously for Nick.

Nick crept through the house and to the counter to search through the bags for the precious box they so desperately needed. He heard Greg's desperate voice come through the front door. "Nick, man I know you're in there, I saw your car. Please man I really need to talk. It's really important." Greg whined.

Nick moaned and walked to the door. He threw it open and scowled at Greg. "I hate you."

"Yeah well, so does Jen."

"What?" Nick asked as Greg pushed past him and walked through the small hallway and into the living room and plopped down on the couch.

"Where's Anna?"

"Asleep." Nick lied knowing it was **far** from the truth.

"Does she have a phone in her room?"

"Yes…why does that matter?"

Greg sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "We were just talking about ready to…ya know." Nick nodded, he did know. "And she went to go take her birth control and we freaked out when we saw that she skipped one from a few days ago. So we ran to the store and got a pregnancy test…"

"Oh God. Greg. Oh God no. Please Greg, God, tell me you didn't get Jen pregnant." Nick pleaded.

Greg shook his head and sighed. "No, the test came back negative."

"Thank God…wait, so why does she hate you?"

Just then Anna came storming out of her room in a midnight blue and green, yellow, and orange polka dot, cotton and polyester bathrobe that ended mid thigh. She stormed over to Greg and slapped him upside the back of his head and he winced. "What the Hell Greg? How could you do that to her! I just got a call from Jennifer, in tears! I cannot believe you! How could you ask her for an abortion?" Anna yelled. Nick looked at Greg in disbelief.

"Greg…my God." Was all he could manage.

Greg sighed and threw his head in his hands. "I know!" He moaned.

"Alright, walk us through the conversation so we can find out what the Hell you were thinkin."

"He wasn't thinking." Anna growled and Nick gently took her hand and led her to his lap and he sat her down and held her smaller hands in place with his own, not wanting her to charge Greg again.

Greg sighed. "Well…we were sitting on her bed and she got up to take her pill for the day and she saw that she had skipped one. We freaked out and immediately went to CVS to grab a pregnancy test and came back to her house. She took it and it turned up negative…so then we got to talking about what would happen if she was actually pregnant…she said she wanted me to answer honestly and…I did."

He stopped to let Anna shake her head, stand up, and go into the kitchen. They silently watched her as she fumed and made coffee. Once the pot started to brew she stormed back over and Nick pulled her back onto his lap and he tried to calm her down.

"I asked her what she would do…"

**/-/ Flashback /-/ **

_Jennifer sighed in relief and laid her head against the head board. "Whew…that was scary." _

"_Tell me about it." Greg replied and sat down next to her. _

"_Hey, here's a crazy hypothetical question…what would you do if I was pregnant?" _

"_What would you do?" Greg countered. _

"_I'd…I'd have the baby…wouldn't you?" _

"_Honestly…I'd want you to have an abortion." _

_Jennifer's face paled as she stared at him in shock. "Wh-what?" _

_Greg looked at her and bit his lip. "I'd want you to have an abortion." _

_She looked at him in disgust. "Oh my God…how could you want that…how could you ask me to do that? That's so selfish." _

"_Jennifer…I'm not ready to be a dad…"_

"_And I'm not ready to be a mother. But I could at least be man enough to own up to what I did. You're around death so much…**every** day…how could you want to kill something that's a part of me, a part of **you**? Something **you** created even if it wasn't planned!" She was getting angry now. She had stood up from the bed and was flaring her arms in disbelief. She looked at him in pure disgust and anguish. "I hate you…and I've never hated anyone." _

_Greg sat on the bed, pale and horror stricken. "Jen…I'm-" He reached out to touch her but she backed away. _

"_Get out…I can't look at you…get your things and leave." She said; her features hard and cold. Greg sat on the bed for a moment, but then slowly did as he was told._

_She watched as he left the door quietly and crumpled on her bed and cried. _

**/-/ Present /-/ **

"Then I went home and uh…I couldn't sleep…so I came looking for you Nick…I don't know what to do. How do I fix this?"

"You don't." Nick answered and Greg's face fell. "Words are a dangerous thing…they can make someone fall in love with you over and over again…or make them want to run away from you and never look back." Nick replied humbly and Anna squeezed his hand.

Anna shook her head and sighed. "Greg…just give her a little time…then you two have some serious talking to do. I don't know if she'll even talk to you ever again, I wouldn't. I suggest you get on your knees and start prayin for forgiveness cause the only way you'll get her back is through a miracle. And it'll be a big one." Anna replied sharply and Nick shifted uncomfortably as he saw Greg's distraught face. Anna was angry and making Greg miserable…being Greek, she was good at that. Nick gripped Anna's hand harder and gently pushed her off of him.

"Why don't you go take your shower baby?" Nick suggested and Anna huffed as she stomped out of the room. Nick smirked and shook his head fondly and looked over at Greg. "She's like a little kid some times." Nick drawled affectionately.

Greg sighed. "How did you get Anna back?"

Nick smiled. "I surprised her at work with a song saying that she said we were over, but I didn't want it to be, and I was sorry. Then I requested another song saying that she was the only one who understood me and I explained why I was wrong and that I shouldn't have pushed her to talk about an extremely sensitive subject for her..." He smiled. "During the lyrics of the song I had random people in the dinner hand her roses and during each chorus I wrote a message on roses tied together with ribbons…then on the last lines I had Cath, Sara, Jen, and Raggs give her huge vases of long stem red roses…but you couldn't pull that off with Jen."

"Why?"

"Because Anna's actually pretty sensitive and looking for someone she can trust and who'll give her everything she needs but won't ask for…she wants someone who's romantic and who knows when to be humble and admit when they're wrong and who won't rub it in her face when she's wrong and who's patient enough to wait for her to say what she needs to say…Jen wants someone who knows when to be spontaneous but knows when to be serious, but can also be romantic as Hell and woo her. He's gotta know just the right things to say without saying them…she wants someone who can create her secret fairytale…she thought that you would be that someone…"

"Until today." Greg finished and sighed. "She hates me."

Nick sighed. "Welcome to an adult relationship…what's your next move?"

Greg sighed and shook his head as he looked at Nick, completely lost. "I have no idea…"

Nick nodded. "Step one complete. Admitting you don't know how to fix it, and even though you want to fix it, you're human and you make mistakes."

"I thought she wanted a Superman."

"That's the secret fantasy…girls love a man who knows when to admit he wants to be her Superman but can't because he's a mere mortal. But she's the one who can make you Superman. But the furtive twist-"

"There's a twist?" Greg asked in disbelief as Nick leaned forward and Greg did also.

Nick nodded. "She may make you Superman…but she's your Kryptonite as well…"

Greg shook his head in confusion. "But how?"

"Think about it Greggo, Lois Lane, she made Superman all that he could be, through her love, but anytime anything happened to her…kablam. She tore him down." Greg nodded slowly, but confusion still lay on his face. "Hercules, he was immortal. But he only became that way because of Meg, by rescuing her and giving his soul to Hades to save her he gained immortality. But the minute something happened to her, he lost it. It's said that in times of great devastation we gain un-human like strength."

"Adrenaline rush."

"Desperate situation, you need to save someone…who can you think of that would give you that kind of a rush?"

"The one person who, if anything happened to them, could take it away." Greg replied catching on. Nick nodded.

"Right. By choice though. You're so in love with this person that you'd die and give everything you had, even if it meant your life, to keep them from harms way."

"So…we can't win in this situation can we?"

Nick shook his head. "Not necessarily."

"Well then how the Hell do we win?" Greg asked getting frustrated. "They give us supreme strength but then…unknowingly take it away…and we're doomed without them. We die, or they die. How do we win?"

Nick smiled softly and looked the slightly younger man he considered a brother in the eye. "Because, for that amount of time that you have with them, no matter how long or short…is the best time of your life. Everything is better. Your life seems worth living. And no matter what happens…you'll always have that memory of that time you were with them." Nick said in a warm, love-filled voice. Greg looked at him giving small nods.

"Anna is your Lois Lane/Kryptonite." Greg stated more than asked.

Nick thought about it for a moment and then gave a big sigh. "I think so." he nodded. "I think she is…when I was without her, for just a few hours, I felt like I'd rather die than be without her…I actually fell asleep for about a half hour and had nightmare that she was with Josh again…and she couldn't get away. I drove her to Josh and he hurt her, emotionally and physically…I was sick to my stomach and I woke up and thought…if anything ever happened to her or Regan…I don't know what I'd do." Nick said heart felt.

"So she's your lobster?"

"My what?"

"Your lobster. When lobsters mate, they mate for life. A character on Friends, Phoebe, said that two characters, Ross and Rachel, would eventually end up together because they were each others lobsters…they were destined to be together."

Nick chuckled and reclined in the chair. "Well…I don't know about destiny…I don't know if it was fate that brought us together so much as a bad day and an amazingly strong little girl."

Greg nodded. "Alright man," He slapped the arm of the couch and stood up. Nick stood with him and they walked to the door. "I'll uh…I'll talk to you in a while." Greg said and Nick nodded.

"Think hard Greg…don't screw this up." Nick replied and Greg nodded as Nick closed and locked the door. He walked back through the house and saw Anna standing in her bathroom and waiting for the water to warm up. Nick looked at her back and slowly approached her. He wrapped his arms around her as he stood from behind. "Hello Baby." He said sweetly, as though it had been days since he'd seen her. She smiled and turned so that she was facing him. She rested her arms on his chest and he let his hands bunch up the fabric of her bathrobe. He kissed her gently and slowly, it grew more passionate. He moaned and backed her against the wall. Picking up where they had left off.

She moaned into his mouth and he pressed his body into hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and his hand came around to her front and dipped into her bathrobe to caress the soft skin of her stomach. She pulled away from his mouth and slowly rolled her head back, giving him access to her neck. He dove after her sensitive spot and instead of giggling; she let out jagged, loud moans. Nick felt his senses go wild and he brought his other hand to her hip covered by the robe and grabbed them roughly and pulled them towards his hips. She gasped and jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist. He let one hand wander from her hip and toy with the knot of her bathrobe sash and he let it fall open.

Bracing her against the wall, he brought his hands to her shoulders and slowly brushed the cloth off her body. He pulled his head down her neck so that he was looking at her matching bra and panties set. He moaned at ran his hands over the satin Amazon green material of her bra. He dipped his head and kissed the shallow space between her thriving mounds. She moaned and grinded her hips into his. "_Nick_…"

He sucked on the soft skin of her neck, nipped at it, and then quickly licked it. "Anna…_God_ baby." He moaned.

"Nicky…please…now." She said between moans. She clawed at his back and quickly bit his shoulder. He chuckled and cupped her ass and turned her around so that she was sitting on the counter by the sink. It was just high enough for him to reach her and he started nipping at her neck again. She moaned and unwrapped her legs and braced her legs up and spread them on the counter top. She leaned her back into the mirror and gripped the towel bar on the wall tightly. "Nick, now." She growled and Nick pushed his hips into hers.

"Fuck, baby."

"Please."

"No…I mean fuck, baby, I forgot the condoms on the counter."

She cried out in frustration and he turned to leave but she yanked him back to her. "Ugh…no."

"Anna…we can't without protection." He reasoned, knowing she wasn't exactly thinking straight.

She whimpered and frowned. "Hurry up before I whip out my little friend, and he doesn't need condoms, just two double A's." She replied and Nick chuckled.

"Wait for me baby." He replied and she laughed and let her long legs hang from the counter as she leaned forward and sighed.

"I'll try!"

A few seconds later he ran back into the bathroom with the box and she tore it open ferociously. He chuckled as she pulled out the first one she found. Nick was in the middle of unbuttoning his pants when he caught sight of the counter. "Uh…Anna…" She furred her eyebrows and looked down. There was blood on the counter and Anna growled when she realized what was happening.

"Noooo!" She screamed and Nick looked at her sympathetically. "Periods fucking suck ass!" She declared.

"Baby…" He chuckled.

"Don't laugh." She whined and whimpered. "I seriously wanna cry right now…"

"Well…can we still…"

Anna shook her head. "I don't wanna risk it…no matter how much I wanna 'consummate' this relationship…I'm not ready for kids." She said and sighed. "Nicky…" He backed away and helped her up and off the counter. "I'll clean up."

"You sure?"

She nodded as she slid on her robe and slid of her panties underneath. She turned around to nod her head towards the door. "Unless you wanna watch me use a tampon I suggest you sceedadle and go take care of that." She smirked, gesturing to the lump in his pants. He chuckled and walked away, closing the door behind him.

Nick walked through the kitchen and grabbed an apple from the basket on the counter. He plopped himself down on the couch and turned on the television and flipped to football, something that had always worked for this 'situation' in the past. In the silence of the house he heard Anna start the shower and he sighed. "_Damn_…" He moaned and laid his head back against the couch. "This is gonna be a long week."

**

* * *

A/N: AGH!**

The age old question continues…WILL THESE TWO EVER HAVE SEX! Hmm…don't know yet. But we'll see…

Hey, just be glad they got back together...but don't rejoyce yet...there are more trials and tribulations to come!

As for Greg and Jen…--sigh-- yeah, sensitive issue, I'm sorry if I upset anyone out there with their arguments (obviously that wasn't my intention).

Please R&R Ya'll!

I need Constructive Criticism!

Just so you know, the songs were, It's Over by the Goo Goo Dolls, Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls, Little Moments by Brad Paisley, and I'll be by Edwin Mccain. Just FYI, don't own any of them.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **Sorry for such the long wait…I don't know why it's taking so long for my chapters to flow…--sigh—I think I'll blame

the writer's block…

**Rating: M**! Yep, sexual content…and I ain't jokin…there's actually sexual content. And…it's descriptive…**very **descriptive. R&R, let me know how I did on my second sex scene ever…plus there's language…and drama…but I can't give it an** M** for that…

**

* * *

Chapter 13: "I think that'd be the icing on top of the deathly painful cake." **

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**Friday May 13, 2004**

**LVPD CSI Crime Lab**

**Grissom's Office**

**5:03 p.m.**

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Gil Grissom sat at his desk and tried to sort through all of the paperwork that had piled up on his desk from the last few weeks. He hated paperwork…it was annoying…and he always obtained paper cuts when completing it. He said and prayed for a reverie from it.

"Griss?" Sara asked as she knocked on his door. Grissom looked up to see her beautiful face. God had answered…in the best way possible. He smiled and nodded her in.

"Yes?"

"I uh…I was just wondering…could I have the night off?" Sara asked cautiously.

Grissom looked up at her shocked. Sara Sidle had just **asked **for time off. Ask…as in the voluntary notion of the gaining of knowledge. "Uh…I don't know, Nick is still out…I'd have to see how the night goes…Sara," She looked up at him knowing what question was coming, and visibly dreading, "Can I ask why?"

She shifted her weight uncomfortably and looked anywhere but his eyes. "Uh…why?"

Grissom stared at her a moment. "If it has an extreme level of importance than I'll let you go and bring in Nick…"

She stared at him for a minute then sighed softly. "I have a date." She said barely loud enough for him to hear. Grissom's jaw slowly fell and he stared at her in disbelief. This was more outrageous than her asking for time off.

Grissom couldn't say anything…he was speechless. She turned and left his office in silence. Grissom wanted to call out, to stop her…to beg her to reconsider this whole dating thing…but no words would form. He sighed and looked down, feeling like an idiot.

He saw his planner open on his desk and glanced at today's date…Friday the 13th…the unluckiest day of the year. "Irony…"

"Can be a bitch." Greg finished walking in the door. Grissom looked up to see the younger man's restless face.

"Greg?"

"The one and only, much to my dismay at the moment." He grumbled and plopped down into the chair in front of Grissom's desk. Greg looked much older than he was…he had heavy, darks circles under his eyes, his hair was messier than usual, and the unusual appearance of scruff graced his normally bare chin…Grissom didn't even know he could grow facial hair.

"Greg…are you okay?" Grissom asked in an uncharacteristic way.

Greg shook his head. "No man…no I'm not."

Grissom looked up to see that his office door was closed before he continued. "Did you get any sleep?"

Greg shook his head. "No…Jen and I got into a fight."

"Jen? The waitress that Anna works with?" Greg nodded. "You two are dating?"

"Since Tuesday."

"At the party at Anna's?"

Greg nodded. "We hooked up afterwards…we got into a fight last night."

Grissom's curios side over rode his usual 'hell-will-care' attitude. "About what?" Grissom asked with genuine concern and interest.

"Griss…have you ever had a pregnancy scare?"

Grissom's eyes bulged. "Oh God Greg. Don't tell me you've been dating her for three days and you've already gotten her pregnant."

"Nah…but we thought we were, pregnant I mean." Grissom nodded and stared at him urging him on. "So we went out to get a pregnancy test, luckily it came back negative…but she asked me a hypothetical question."

"What if you had actually gotten her pregnant?"

Greg nodded. "How did you know?"

Grissom gave a heavy sigh and leaned forward. "I've been there before."

"What did you answer?"

"I didn't. She saw the look on my face and knew…she kicked me out and never spoke to me again."

"Damn…I wish it had been that simple for me. Jen asked me and I answered honestly."

"Abortion."

Greg nodded. "She flipped. She cried and kicked me out. I tried to go home but I couldn't sleep. So I went to go talk to Nick and Anna. Ya know, Nick is 'Mr. Dependable' and Anna's her BFF. So…Nick tried to explain to me my consecutive series of big 'uh-ohs'…pissing off Ann's best friend being the first…my second mistake was actually leaving."

"Did they happen to mention falling in love?"

Greg chuckled and sat back. "That obvious?"

"Well let's look at the evidence, you reluctantly left, went to talk to her best friend knowing that she'd be pissed, listening to the facts and errors of your ways, couldn't sleep, couldn't shower, couldn't eat." Greg looked at him questioningly. "Your stomach hasn't stopped rumbling since you got here." He tossed an apple on his desk at the younger man. "And you feel horrible…when any man has been kicked out from the dreaded subject of abortion…unless they love her, they don't fret. They just wanna get out of there and forget the horrible situation ASAP."

Greg sighed and rested his head in his hands. "Nick says to just give her time…talk to her when she's ready and try to show her that I do care, and that I'd be man enough to stick around and not crap out when times got tough."

"You know where taking that route will lead you don't you?"

Greg shook his head. "I think we're talking about different roads."

"Ah, well, she think that if you freak out and want to take the easy road out of a tough situation that really involves you…if something else comes along, in her mind, why wouldn't you just take off…she's gone into self preservation mode. She thinks you won't be there for her when she needs you most…so she's bailing before you do."

"You got all that from an unshaven face?"

"And the look of loneliness in your eye…I know it well."

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**Delmarco Residence**

**6:23 p.m.**

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Anna rolled over on her side and sighed in her sleep as she snuggled in further to the bed. She felt an arm wrap around her waist and draw her towards a strong, muscular body that wasn't there when she had fallen asleep. She smiled and inhaled the familiar, masculine scent; wrapping her arms around the body she knew well and sighed again. "Either you are extremely content lying next to me or you're bored out of your mind." The deep Southern voice drawled.

Anna chuckled in a husky, sleepy voice, "Regan said that contentment was defined as, _a state of mind in which one's desires are confined to his lot whatever it may be_." Anna informed him and Nick chuckled.

"Well…let's hope that's not it."

"Well it ain't the second one either."

"So…"

"So, I'm satisfied."

"Satisfied?" Nick asked slightly shocked. "We haven't had sex."

She chuckled. "No, no we haven't. Not physically anyway."

"What?" Nick asked chuckling. He opened his eyes to look at her and she did the same.

"Well…the Greeks tend to be very religious, spiritual people right?"

"Yeah."

"So this shouldn't really come as a shock to you. I think that we've actually had sex spiritually."

"And I _know_ we have mentally." Nick drawled and she chuckled. Nick reached over and grabbed her arm to pull her on top of him. She chuckled again as he held her on top of him with one hand as his other hand traveled down her back, over the large curve of her butt, and rested on the back of her thigh just below her butt.

"Yes, our dirty minds have definitely had sex…but I think spiritually we have had sex, we've thought about it enough, we've tried enough, we're on the same level of sexuality…we just haven't consummated the relationship." She explained.

"Hmm…makes sense." He replied as she moved to sit up on him. She was straddling his waist as she sat on his lap and placed her hands on his chest and smiled down at him as he pushed her long, brown, curly hair behind her ears.

"Yep." She chuckled when she something hard against her thigh and she smiled at him. He wiggled his eyebrows and asked,

"So…how am I 'spiritually'?" A smug smirk graced his handsome face. She scoffed and rolled off of him, only to have him grab her hand and roll her back on top of him, sitting her back down as she was before. "Come on, do I rock our spiritual bed?" Nick asked jokingly and Anna laughed.

"You're a piece of work, you know that?" She replied and Nick moved his hands from her hair to stroke her cheek. She tried to suppress a smile as he gently brought her head down so he could kiss her. She moved her hands from his chest to slide underneath him and rest under his back. His hands went from her neck, down her back, to her butt and he grabbed at the thick flesh that he found. He gripped her ass tighter and held her hard against his erection as he pushed his hips into her pelvis.

She moaned and rolled her hips, grinding them into his. Nick brought his hands to her back and braced her as he rolled over and he was now lying on top of her. She paused a minute and stiffened, but then continued kissing him and ran her hands through his brown hair and played with the scruff that he had yet to shave off from the night they had spent apart. He tugged at her green booty shorts and fumbled with the drawstring. "Wait," She broke apart from him. "Where's Regan?"

"Uhh…I think she's still doing her homework for the weekend." Nick answered.

Anna bit her bottom lip. "Having sex is risky enough, but having her walk in…"

"We weren't gonna have sex."

"We weren't?" She asked confused.

"Yeah, I know periods are the window for the end of ovulation, but Griss and I worked this case where a girl got pregnant because she and her boyfriend had sex when she was on her period and they thought she wouldn't get pregnant."

Anna gaped at him. "Holy shit."

Nick chuckled. "Yeah, and while I want kids someday…I don't think I want that to be for a while yet."

Anna smirked. "So you were gonna tease me?"

"What, like you haven't done it to me enough times before?" Nick accused and Anna blushed. "But no…" Nick said in a husky voice and let his head drop to her neck as his hands went down her torso and begged her legs apart as one hand slipped into her shorts and cupped her crotch, outside her underwear. She gasped and arched her back to meet his while moaning his name.

"_Nicky_…"

"Shhh…baby, be quiet." Nick chuckled as he whispered and withdrew his hand. She growled and pushed her hips into his. "Anna…" Nick warned. "What about Regan?" Anna immediately withdrew from him and rolled out from under him. Nick looked at her confused. "Where are you goin?" He drawled, his pupils dilated with passion.

"To check on Regan." Anna answered and slipped on her slippers. Nick watched as her remarkable ass swayed when she walked away and he got a boyish grin on his face. He rolled back on the bed and listened as Anna's soft, sweet voice spoke to Regan, and the young girl answered. The held a conversation for a few minutes, then Anna began to laugh, and Nick heard her coming back to the room. She smiled at whatever Regan had said and closed the door. Nick waited anxiously for her from her bed and she closed the curtains of her door to the patio. She slipped out of her slippers and crawled back into the bed. Nick took her by the hand and pulled her back to him.

He laid next to her and stroked her soft cheek. "What's Regan up to?"

"She's still doing her homework, and then she has to work on a project about bugs…" Anna shivered and Nick chuckled. "So we're calling Grissom later to see if he can come over tomorrow to help her out with it."

"And until then…"

Anna smirked. "She's working on the project to get as much as she can done tonight. She said that you made diner for her earlier." Nick nodded and she kissed him. "Thank you. But ya see…I don't know how I can thank you _properly_." She informed him in a sexy voice.

Nick smirked and rolled her over, bracing himself above her. "How about closing your eyes and staying still."

She shifted slightly uncomfortably underneath him and tried to keep up their 'game'. "How about open eyes and cooperation."

Nick chuckled. "Deal." He kissed the sensitive spot on her neck and she sucked in a breath and clawed at his shirt. He caressed the soft skin of her hips and gently slid her shorts down her long, tan legs. She moved her legs and pushed the fabric off of her feet. Nicks hands went under her shirt and pushed the material up to her chest. She lifted her arms and he pulled it off of her. He reached underneath her and unclipped the light blue bra and took it off of her, exposing her barely B breasts. He attacked one of them with his mouth and bit at her nipple. She moaned softly and pushed him off of her breast.

"Biscuit…no biting." Nick nodded and waited for her to nod before he continued kissing down her chest and stomach. He licked her naval and trailed down to her light blue thong, where he stopped. He looked up to her and saw she was biting her lip to keep from crying out. Nick began kissing back up to her cleavage and then back to her mouth. She whimpered and Nick let his hand slip into her underwear. "Wait." She said again and Nick stopped and pulled his hand away. She pushed him off of her and rolled off the bed and ran into the bathroom. She disappeared behind the right side of the wall and he heard her fiddling with the trash can, and then she came back out and rolled back underneath him. "Okay."

Nick went back for her mouth and his hand slipped back into her underwear and caressed the skin above her crotch. He held the fabric of her thong in his hand and he pulled it down her legs so that she was completely naked. She moaned into his mouth, sending him over the edge and he slipped his finger inside of her warm, wet walls. He began sucking on her neck and she rolled her pelvis into his hand. He cupped her and gently slid his finger in and out, then slipping a second finger in. She cried out and Nick pressed his mouth back into hers to silence her as to not alert Regan. He continued sliding his fingers in and out and then a third one dipped in.

She lurched her hips forward, pushing his fingers in further and Nick continued his motions. She whimpered and moaned as she rocked her body into his, begging more of him. She clawed at his shirted back and moved her mouth away from his to kiss neck. She braced her feet on the bed and continuously thrust her hips into his hands gaining a quicker motion of his fingers, and he began twisting and wiggling them. She panted and moaned and continued rolling her body. Nick let his other hand roamed up and down her body and it landed on her breast where he massaged it and rolled her sensitive nipple between his thumb and index finger.

She cried out against his shirt and trailed her hands down his shirt and to the waistband of his jeans, where she tugged them and slipped her two fingers in the front and yanked his hips into her stomach. "Baby…I can't." Nick reasoned knowing what she wanted. She whimpered and kissed his neck and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. Nick's hand that was on her breast went under her back and brought her body up to his and pressed her into him. She rubbed her bare chest into his shirted one. She yanked the shirt off of him and kissed down his chest, driving him wild. He moaned and buried his head in her neck and whispered, "You have to be quiet or Regan's gonna come in here." Knowing from the past fifteen minutes that she was easily excited and didn't mind expressing that.

She calmed down a minute and nodded. Nick slipped a fourth finger in, creating a rounder shape and began his motions again. She cried out into his shoulder and rocked her hips into his hand and tried her hardest not to loose control. She was trembling against him and Nick looked at her to make sure she was okay. She was moaning and panting hard, on the edge of a climax. She bit her lip again to keep from crying out and Nick quickened his pace. She buried her head in Nick's shoulder and her hot breath down his back sent shivers through him. She cried out his name, muffled by his shoulder and Nick's pace quickened and his fingers began an erotic dance. After close to ten more minutes Nick finally pulled his fingers out of her and she collapsed back against the sheets, sweating profusely and panting. She tried to form words, but couldn't. Nick rolled over onto his back and let her catch her breath. Nick was panting himself and he turned his head to look at the beautiful, truly satisfied, sweaty woman next to him.

She pulled herself over to him and sat up on his lap, straddling him like she had before. Nick raised his eyebrow at her becoming slightly nervous. He looked at her curiously as she scooted down him slightly and undid the button of his jeans. She tugged them down his legs and moved out of the way so she could pull them all the way down and off. She leaned down and kissed him straight on the mouth and slid her hand into his boxers and grabbed his hard member. Nick gasped at first, but then relaxed against her soft touch. She wrapped her fingers around him and began to slowly move them up and down. He pulled his mouth away and threw his head back, beginning to pant. She kissed his neck and gradually quickened her movements. She squeezed slightly and Nick gasped again and gripped her hips tightly, realizing how hard it was to not cry out in pleasure. It had been years, when he lived at home, since he had to control himself and his moans.

Anna quickened her movements still and scooted down him further and began to leave a trail of kisses from his neck, down his chest, and his happy trail. She continued with her quick movements, and bent her head down and covered his thick heavy member with her mouth. She pulled her hair to the side and out of the way so that he could see what she was doing, a trick she learned was very effective. Sure enough, Nick was struggling to stay still and brace himself up on his forearms. He felt her tongue caress his thick shaft and he moaned her name again. "_Anna_…God baby." She pulled away from him and pushed him slightly, so that he moved up the bed and was sitting up.

She felt his hips twitch again and she quickened the pace of her mouth and her tongue caressed him more. He groaned again and she felt that he was almost ready to cum. She continued her movements, and soon her mouth was filled. She gulped it down and smiled at him deviously. She wiped her mouth and pulled her face away, as she crawled back up him; collapsing against his chest.

They were both breathing hard and he enveloped her in his strong, sweaty arms. She reached out and grabbed his shirt off the bed and slid it on. Nick sighed and brought her body to his and held her there. She sighed and snuggled into him, loving the feel of his sweaty, satisfied body against hers. She wrapped her thin arms around his body and ran her fingers through his hair. She chuckled. "What?" Nick asked in a husky voice.

"I just realized something…"

"What?"

"Today is Friday the 13th…"

Nick scoffed and kissed her forehead. "So much for bein unlucky."

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**Delmarco Residence**

**9:18 p.m.**

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Nick rolled over in the bed to feel around for the woman that had fallen asleep next to him, but felt nothing but sheets. He opened his eyes and looked around the room, and saw the alarm clock read 9:18 p.m.

He moaned and sat up in bed and looked around the dark room for Anna. He didn't see her anywhere, and he kicked back the covers to see her panties and, his jeans, and her booty shorts. He chuckled and climbed out of bed, throwing on his jeans as he went. He poked his head out of the door and saw Regan's door was still closed. He stepped out of the room and walked through the house and into the kitchen, where Anna was sitting on the counter in her robe from earlier, with her back to him, watching the television and waiting for the water in the teapot to boil. Her hair was damp and he could tell from the faint smell of her lavender scented soap that she had taken a shower.

Nick walked into the kitchen and rounded the counter to face her. He let his hands rest on her thighs and he looked into her green eyes. She simply stared at him and blinked, blankly. Nick brushed the stray curl that had escaped from her clip out of her face and kissed her lightly. She pulled away only a few seconds into the kiss and looked at him, still blank. She looked back at the television screen and sighed, barely audibly. Nick looked at the screen to see what had her so entranced. Nothing special, just some old black and white movie.

Nick looked at her, concern lacing his handsome face. She couldn't look him in the eye, and that scared Nick. "Hey…" He jostled her arms slightly and she dragged her Amazon eyes to his soulful brown ones. "…Anna, Darlin what's wrong?" He asked concerned about her.

She bit her lip and looked down at her hands. Nick grabbed her smaller hands in his fist and brought them to his lips to lay a soft kiss on them. "Honey please talk to me." He begged and she looked him in the eye and he saw her eyes well up with tears.

"Mac…" She began softly and tried to finish while keeping her composure. Her face grew disoriented but no tears fell as Nick waited for her to finish. "Mac was held at gun point at the diner…" She said and didn't look Nick in the eye. Nick felt his heart fall…he knew what that felt like…and though he didn't know much about Mac, he knew that he was a big part of Anna's life, and would do anything for her. Nick stroked Anna's cheek and she continued. "He's been rushed to the OR…the bullet is lodged in his liver." Nick winced and Anna continued. "…he uh, he knew the guy…"

Nick looked at her, knowing this was bad…and Anna was having a hard time. She looked at the television again and sniffled back her tears. Nick brought his hands to cup her cheeks and slid up and down her neck and shoulders. "Anna…honey…"

She screwed up her face in emotional pain but refused to let the tears fall. She looked up at the ceiling and shook her head while Nick wiped away the invisible tears. "…he said it was Josh." She whispered and Nick stared at her in horror. She hung her head and Nick enveloped her in his arms and held her there. She didn't cry…although nick knew she wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to cry. Nick looked back at her, "They said…I was his emergency contact…but he asked not to see me. This is my fault Nick."

"No, no it's not."

"Nick!" She said more forcefully than she intended. "Mac, Jen, Carol, Brooke, Al…they were all there. Josh came looking for me. I went to find me…it was supposed to be my night to work but Jen took over because she didn't want to have to face Greg. And now…"

"Is she okay?"

"Bullet ricocheted off her arm…she's got heavy blood loss…Brooke just had a baby, a little girl named Allison, and now that little baby won't be able to play with her mom because a bullet is lodged in her artery and she's in a vegetable state. Carol was three months pregnant…her boyfriend didn't even know yet…and now he's not going to. Jen has Greg and they've still gotta get their shit figured out…Al can't walk and Mac…Mac's hanging by a thread…and I can't even see him because he doesn't want me there."

She broke down and started crying hysterically while Nick wrapped his arms around her and laid her head on his shoulder. He stroked her hair and rocked her in his arms. "Anna…" Was all Nick could say. He was normally the one you'd turn to if you needed to be comforted…but when it came to Anna's emotional break downs, it upset him so much to see her so hurt and vulnerable. She sniffled and pulled away from him and looked him in the eye. Her hair slipped from behind her ear and fell into her face, so Nick brushed it back and caressed her cheek.

"He's not gonna stop…he's gonna keep coming after people I care about until he gets me back. In whatever form that may be." Anna replied and Nick shook his head, not wanting to entertain that thought.

"No…maybe it wasn't Josh. Maybe it was someone else who looked like Josh maybe Mac just didn't get a good-"

"Nick…it was Josh. Everyone recognized him. When the CSIs get to the scene they're gonna match the bullet casings to Josh's gun…but they won't have any idea where he is…he'll just disappear. That's what he does. He intimidates, he hurts, he destroys, he leaves, he waits, and he comes and does it again…"

Nick stared at her beginning to get angry. "Anna you're talking about this like we're all already dead…you need to calm down. Just wait it out."

"Wait it out?" She said in a deep sharp voice. "Wait it out! Nick my friends are in the hospital because my lunatic ex-boyfriend has got a screw loose and is obsessed with making my life fucking miserable!" She shouted and shoved him away from her as she jumped off the counter and stormed out of the kitchen. Nick chased after her as she threw open the sliding glass door and stomped onto the patio. It was extremely dark and Anna could barely see two feet in front of her, so she stopped on the patio. Nick ran after her and grabbed her arm and spun her around.

"Hey!" Nick shouted, not appreciating the situation and her tone. She jerked her arm from his grasp but Nick caught her other one. "Anna stop. I understand you're angry but don't yell at me." Nick said firmly and Anna sighed and wiped her cheeks, it was only then that Nick realized she had still been crying. She gave a sob and shook her head.

"I'm sorry." She said and Nick let his grip move from her forearm to her hand. He pulled her towards his strong frame and he held her in his arms and rubbed his hands along her back.

"It's okay Sweetheart." He said soothingly and she broke down again. She cried into his shoulder and Nick felt his heart break. He hated it when women cried…it tore him apart. And when it was a woman he loved as much as he loved Anna…it was torture. Nick held her tighter and brought his head to her neck and pecked her ticklish spot. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck. Nick picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist and kept her head buried in his neck, praying to God that she was sleeping and this was all one horrible dream, and she would wake up any minute.

Nick walked into the sliding door that led to her bedroom, and he laid her down gently on her cloud like bed. She simply lay there, making no move to roll over or get comfortable. Nick stood above her and fixed her robe so that her decency was kept. She reached out for his hand and yanked him on top of her roughly. She held him to her body and began kissing him passionately. She wrapped her long leg around his waist and held him to her flush body. She reached down and tugged at her robe, trying to get the knot out.

She gave up and went for Nick's jeans. She unbuttoned them and began tugging but Nick grabbed her hands in his one and shook his head. "Anna, I don't know…" He said but she got her hands free and continued trying to pull down his pants. She had them at his ankles and kicked them off his feet with hers. She undid the knot of her bathrobe and began pulling open when Nick shook his head. "Anna…" She ignored him and pulled it off of her body and began kissing Nick's neck and chest. She grabbed Nick's hands and placed them on her body and thrust her hips into his. "Biscuit." Nick called and Anna retreated, looking at him shocked.

"What?"

He shook his head. "This doesn't feel right…Anna…I know we just did this but…I don't wanna become like, addicted to sex with you. You're feeling vulnerable and depressed so-"

"Nick, I'm fine. I just wanna be with you."

"I can't take advantage of you like that." Nick said sitting up and pulling away from her.

She sat up and grabbed her robe, pulling it on in shock. "You're not taking advantage of me. You have my permission, go ahead!" She exclaimed and emphasized by gesturing to her body. Nick shook his head.

"No. Anna…we can't have sex and you know that. You know the chances of you getting pregnant."

Anna scoffed. "Yeah, like a million to one."

"No." Nick said more firmly, knowing that she wasn't of sound mind and all she wanted was sympathy sex, which she'd regret in the morning.

She glared and rolled over on the bed. "Fine." She huffed and Nick watched her. Sensing that he wasn't leaving, she climbed off the bed and disappeared behind the wall of her bathroom. She turned left and pulled the curtain closed behind her and Nick heard the shower running. He knew that she went into the shower because Nick wouldn't follow her in there. He sighed and plopped down on the bed and rested his eyes for a moment.

After a few minutes Nick was fast asleep and Anna slipped out of the bathroom and tip toed over to her dresser. She grabbed some clothes and slipped dropped her robe, to change. She slid on her underwear, black Capri Dickeys, bra, and olive green tiny t-shirt. She put on her flip flops and pulled her hair up, grabbed Nick's keys and tip toed out of the room. She walked silently down the hall and opened Regan's door. She poked her head in and saw the sweet little girl asleep in her bed. Anna walked over and shook her shoulder softly.

"Hey…hey Raggs." The girl's eyes opened and Anna gave a sad smile.

"Honey…I need to go see Jen okay…she's in the hospital and I think she wants some company…do you wanna come with me?" Anna asked brushing the hair from the girl's face.

Regan nodded and pushed the covers back. "Is Nick coming?" The girl asked sleepily and Anna shook her head.

"No. Come on, get dressed." Anna whispered and Regan did so.

"Did you two fight?" Regan asked and Anna didn't answer. A few minutes later they quietly slipped from the room and walked down the hall. They walked out the front door and locked it behind them, being extra careful not to wake Nick. Anna and Regan climbed into his car and drove off down the street.

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**Desert Palms Hospital**

**ICU Waiting Room**

**10:01 p.m.**

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Anna and Regan hurried down the hall and rounded the corner to see Jennifer sitting in the waiting room, a nervous wreck. "Jen!" Anna called out, grabbing the girl's attention and she rushed over to the two girls.

"Annie!"

They hugged and held each other, thankful that Jen was alright. "Oh God Jen, I'm so glad you're alright." Anna hugged her tighter then pulled away to look at her. "How's everyone?"

"You mean Mac." Jen said with a slight smile. Anna sighed and nodded.

"How is he?"

Jennifer sighed and sat down, bracing her arm in a sling against her voluptuous chest. "Not so good. The doctor said he's doing bad. He's loosing a lot of blood and can't stay awake for any longer than a few minutes…Annie they don't know if he's gonna make it." Jennifer said with a tear in her eye. Anna looked away and tried to keep her composure and not break down in front of Jen and Regan.

Regan stepped forward and hugged . "I'm glad you're okay Jen…" Regan said softly and Jennifer chuckled. She ruffled the girl's hair and held her close.

"I can't die…I'd miss you too much." Jennifer replied. "Here, do me a favor." She handed Regan three dollars, "Go get us all some Hershey bars…I have a feeling we're gonna need them." Jennifer pointed to the vending machine only a few yards away from them. Once she was out of ear shot Anna sighed. "Okay, what happened?" Jennifer asked and Anna looked at her best friend confused.

"Uh, Josh went into the diner with a gun and-"

"No, no." Jennifer waved her hand. "What happened with you and Nick?"

"How-"

"I know the face of a lonely and regretful woman." Jennifer said and Anna looked back over at the seven year old child trying to get the money into the machine and retrieve all three candy bars.

"I threw myself at him."

"Sympathy sex."

Anna nodded. "He said he couldn't take advantage of me like that." Anna replied, her gaze never faltering from Regan's form.

"Wow…he's one of the few men in America who won't take the sympathy sex they're offered. Especially when they haven't had sex-"

"Since he met me." Anna finished and Jennifer shook her head.

"He's special."

"He's stupid." Anna replied and sighed. "Why the hell hasn't he left me yet? He's known me for ten days and he's been through so much Hell…" Jennifer chuckled and shook her head at her friend's obliviousness. "Any other man would have bailed by now if not sooner."

"Maybe he sees something that no one else does." Jennifer offered and Anna finally tore her gaze away from the little girl.

Anna stared at her a moment and sighed. "What ever, I don't want to talk about that right now. How are you and Greg doing?"

Jennifer shook her head. "I haven't talked to him since our argument…"

Anna nodded. "I know…you two need to talk. I talked to Grissom, he said that Greg's a wreck. He hasn't eaten, he hasn't slept, he hasn't shaved…he's just been wandering around Vegas trying to think of the words to express his sorrow." Anna repeated from what Grissom had told her a few hours earlier. "The two of you have to talk. We all told him to wait until you were cooled down, but Jen, the boys a mess. You can't put him through this anymore…at least let him see you."

Jennifer shook her head and brushed away a tear that had escaped from her blue eyes. "I don't think I can." She whimpered and something behind Jennifer caught Anna's attention.

"Uh Jen…I don't think you have much of a choice." Anna stated not looking from whatever had entranced her from behind Jen.

"Huh?" Jennifer asked and turned around to see an unshaven and frantic Greg running at full speed towards them. "Greg?" Jennifer asked standing up.

"Jennifer!" Greg exclaimed and embraced her in a tight hug the minute he reached her. He held her tight and squeezed his eyes shut praying that this wasn't a dream, and that she was really okay. "Oh God Jen, I heard that there was a shoot out at the diner and I knew you were working there tonight and they said the gun man took a bunch of people down including a bunch of employees and one was in ICU but they didn't say who and I though it was you and Griss and I came here as fast as he would allow and I had to make sure you were okay and I'm so sorry." Greg said all in one breath. Tears were forming in his eyes and Jennifer gaped at him. "I know that I hurt you and you were so right, there was no way I could want to destroy something we've created even if I wasn't ready for it. And I'll never leave you, no matter what. I want to be with you. I-"

She silenced him by pressing her mouth into his and pulling them into a long, passionate kiss. Anna gave a crooked smile and Grissom came to stand beside her and Regan approached them with the candy bars. She looked from Greg and Jennifer to Grissom and Anna. "Since Jen's mouth is occupied, do you want her candy bar Mr. Grissom?" Regan asked and Grissom chuckled. He accepted the chocolate and Regan gave Anna hers. Anna tore it open and popped a piece in her mouth.

"So, you and Nick got into another fight huh?"

Anna turned to gap at the older, usually clueless, older man. "How does everybody know this!"

Grissom shrugged. "Nick's chivalrous, he wouldn't let you come here alone unless he didn't know you were here. And He keeps a good safe eye on you unless you don't let him, which would only happen if the two of you were fighting…and judging by the guilty look in your eye I'm gonna say that it was a stupid fight, probably cause by a stupid embellishment of feelings and emotions." Anna raised her brow at him and he smiled as he slipped a piece of chocolate in his mouth. "I'm an observer, it's my job."

"Well…know I see why you are at the top of the charts on your job…you basically have it down." Anna replied and bit into her chocolate as they continued watching the young couple making out in front of them.

Grissom nodded and looked over to see Regan had picked up the most intense medical magazine she could find. He chuckled and looked back at Anna. "Well…so where is he and do you think I could borrow him tonight?"

Anna scoffed. "You can keep him."

"Still bitter." Grissom observed and she looked at him from the corners of her eyes. Just then a nurse exited Mac's room and a doctor followed. He looked around at the people gathered in the waiting room. Anna stepped forward anxiously.

"How is he."

The doctor stared at the young woman and sighed. "Mr. Milligan won't make it through the night." Anna closed her eyes and begged the tears not to fall. Not in front of everyone. "He's very weak and he can't have many visitors…just a few. Don't push it though, keep it light." The doctor replied and Anna nodded as he opened the door for her. She got a look at the muscular bald man before her. He looked pale and sickly in the starchy hospital gown and florescent lights.

She stepped forward and drew Mac's attention. He looked at her in fear. "Annie."

The tone of his voice broke her heart and she stepped forward and neared the edge of his bed by his feet. "Hey Mac."

"You weren't supposed to be here…"

She bit back tears, not able to deal with the fact that he didn't want to see her. She cared deeply for Mac. He had always been there for her, he'd do anything for her, he always cared about her, and if times got rough, Mac was the friend she turned to. "I know…I'm sorry…"

"You weren't supposed to see me like this." He said softly and she opened her mouth to say something, but words didn't come, so she rounded the bed and stood by his side.

"Like what?" She asked, a smirk playing on her full lips. Mac chuckled slightly, but winced and Anna flinched. "Sorry."

"It isn't your fault." He hissed through the pain and she shook her head.

"I think I'd have to say otherwise."

"Anns…" It was a pet name he didn't often use. He had only called her that when no one was around or she was really down. "…this isn't your fault, and don't let anyone else tell you otherwise."

"Mac, Josh came to the diner looking for me…instead he found several innocent people who didn't deserve this."

"What, are you saying you do?"

Anna looked away and sighed. Mac reached out for her hand. "Anns…don't think like that…you deserve so much better than anyone can ever give you…you're strong, beautiful, resilient, smart, witty, talented, and too precious for anyone to know." Mac said and Anna let a tear slip down her cheek. She sat down on the bed next to him and he wiped the tear away. "I never could stand to see a beautiful girl cry."

She sobbed and shook her head. "Mac…you can't do this."

"Do what? Die, have feelings for you, not care about expressing them anymore?" He asked chuckling dryly.

"Mac-"

"Annie, I've always had feelings for you…I just haven't said anything because I value our friendship too much, and if I were to ever hurt you or lost you…I really couldn't live with myself. But, doesn't look like I'll be hanging around much longer so I'm not that shy." Anna screwed up her face and let her silent tears fall. He reached back up and wiped them from her cheeks. "Please…don't cry. I ain't gonna be here much longer and I can't stand seeing you in pain…please Anns." He stroked her cheek and she tried her hardest to stop crying but she couldn't seem to find the off-switch.

"Mac…please don't go. Please Mac." She begged and he smiled sadly at her.

"Hey, we all die someday right? My day just came sooner than we thought." Mac explained and dragged his thumb over her full, pink lips. "Did you ever hear of a guy named Morrie Schwartz?" Anna shook her head. "Well, he was a college professor who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. One of his students spent his last few weeks with him and documented it, writing the book known as Tuesdays with Morrie. In one session he said that _'love is how you stay alive, even after you are gone.' _Anns…I never told you how I felt, like I said because I was scarred. Bt once you find out you're gonna die in a few hours or at most a day…those kind of things aren't that scary anymore." Mac explained and Anna sniffled, knowing where this was going and not knowing if she could handle it.

"Mac…"

"Anns, I love you. I've always loved you and even though I die, I'm not gonna stop loving you. You don't have to love me back…you don't have to do or say anything." His eyes welled up with tears and he smiled and cupped her cheek. "I just had to know that you knew I love you before I go."

Anna closed her eyes. "I knew." She said softly and opened her eyes again.

"I love you Annaleesa Delmarco…I truly love you with all my heart. I've never loved anyone before and I've never had any examples of true love, but I know this is it." She continued crying and looking into his eyes. "I love you so much." He stated finally and pulled her down to him. His soft pink lips met her full red ones and despite herself, she found herself kissing him back.

She knew she shouldn't have.

She knew it was wrong.

But she did love Mac…and she didn't know how things would have turned out and if Nick would even be in the picture if she had told him sooner…all she knew was that she did love Mac.

She pulled away slightly and looked at him, tears still pouring down her cheeks. "I love you too." She whimpered softly and Mac kissed her again. Once again, she kissed him back and only the dim, slowing beep of his heart monitor pulled her away. She pulled away to look at it and saw it gradually slow and the beeps grew deaf to her ears…everything did.

The beeps, the doctors rushing in, Jen crying in the hall way. But Anna knew that Mac could still hear her. "I love you Mac." She professed and the doctors pushed her out of the way, trying to save Mac, though they knew it was useless. Her hand went to her mouth and she continued crying. She backed herself into a corner of Mac's room and slid down the wall, crying silently, knowing he was gone.

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**11:26 p.m.**

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Nearly an hour after the doctors had left Mac's hospital room and Anna had told Mac she loved him, Anna walked out of the room and straightened her shirt and wiped the tear stains from her pretty face. She looked up to see Nick sitting in the chairs with his head hanging and his elbows on his knees, his body bent forward in a position of defeat. Anna looked at him frozen and Nick looked up to her Green eyes.

"Where's Regan?" She asked and Nick stared at her for a moment before answering.

"Jen took her back to her house and Greg and Grissom went back to the lab." Nick answered, knowing that would be her next question.

She looked into his deep brown eyes and what she saw there killed her…pain.

She doubted it was from their minor 'dispute' they had earlier…she knew what it was from…

He knew.

He knew what she had said to Mac…she didn't know how he knew…but he did. She stared at him guilty and waited for him to say something…anything. "I heard you." He said softly and bluntly. Anna closed her eyes and a few tears fell. She knew she had hurt him…she had hurt him deeply. She opened her eyes and saw that he was welling up himself. She let a few more tears fall, hating that she had hurt him. "Did you mean it?" He asked and she opened her mouth to say something, but closed it and closed her eyes. Her face became distorted and she let a few more tears fall.

"I don't know." She whispered.

Nick's nostrils flared as he tried to keep from crying. He turned away from her sharply and began walking down the hall. Anna stood there and let her tears fall. She brought her hand to her mouth again and felt her body shake with sobs. She sank to her knees in the middle of the hallway and cried, wondering how she had lost both the men she loved in only a matter of hours.

She pushed herself against the wall and continued to cry.

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**Saturday May 14, 2004**

**Delmarco Residence **

**2:26 a.m.**

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Anna pulled into her driveway and sat there for a moment, wishing that she could die right there. She opened the car door and walked to her front door, where she pulled out her house key from her pocket and unlocked her door…to her surprise it was unlocked. She opened the door and sighed as she walked into the house. She looked up and saw Nick sitting on the recliner, same position as he had at the hospital.

She stopped, once again, frozen. Nick looked up at her, his jaw tight, heavy circles under his eyes, and several beer bottles around him. She stopped and surveyed the scene around her. She could tell by his hard features that he was still pissed…he had all right to be. But what scarred her was that Nick had bought those beers…she didn't keep alcohol in her house. A drunk and pissed off man…she knew this scene all too well. And even though it was Nick, someone she could trust, she had seen beer turn even that nicest man into a professional boxer.

She gulped and stayed in her spot. "Aren't you gonna come in your own house?" Nick drawled bitterly, the alcohol affecting his accent. She looked around her and cautiously stepped into the living room and set his keys on the stand by the front hall to the door. She watched him as he watched her walk into the living room, but stand a few yards away from him. Nick stared at her angrily.

She knew he probably wouldn't be this intimidating without the beer, and she wished that he was sober. Beer and liquor tended to create intense situations for her. "Guess you don't have any greetings for me huh?"

"You're drunk."

"That's not a greeting."

"I didn't say it was."

Nick starred at her and walked towards her. She visibly stiffened and took a step back. He eyed her skeptically. "You're acting like I'm gonna hurt you." Nick accused and she opened her mouth to say something, but once again, closed it knowing better than to try to reason with a drunk man almost twice her size. "You think I'm gonna hit you?"

Anna didn't like where this conversation was headed…she felt her heart beat quicken. And looked away as she shifted uncomfortably. "No."

Nick chuckled and sat down on the couch, now within a few feet of her. "You're probably right."

Anna gaped at him, very close to a panic attack. '_Probably_'…that wasn't a good word. This wasn't the Nick she knew…this wasn't the caring, comforting, sweet, lovable, man she had fallen so hard for…ironically, falling was one of her biggest fears tonight. Even though she was pretty sure she knew Nick and that he wouldn't hurt her, she knew better than to let her guard down…even for him. "I know I upset you." She said and Nick scoffed.

"No fuckin shit."

She closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. "I'm sorry."

"Would you have still said it if you had known if I loved you?" Nick asked looking at her. The fact that he was basically telling her he loved her wasn't throwing her off. She had been told that same thing in worse situations…when she had tried to kick Josh out he had beat her up considerably well. He had her pinned to the ground with his hands around her neck, yelling that he loved her and wouldn't let her go.

"I don't know…maybe." She replied and Nick could see right through her. He turned back forward so that she was looking at his right side and he took a long sip of beer. "Nick…he deserved to know."

"You know how dumb that sounds?"

"You know how dumb you're acting?" Anna countered, knowing she was treading on thin ice but not caring. Nick glared and tightened his jaw. Anna sighed and sat on the stool behind her.

"I'm not dumb."

"Well buying a six pack at two in the morning when you're pissed off at someone you're going to have to eventually face doesn't exactly scream genius." She replied and Nick glared further.

/-/ Keep it up Delmarco and you're gonna end up right next to Mac in the hospital…No! Stop thinking like that. Nick may be pissed but he wouldn't hit you…even if he is drunk…wasted…and totally pissed…/-/ Anna thought and Nick stood up suddenly, causing Anna to jump from her stool. Nick stormed up to her and she flinched, but he walked past her and into the kitchen. He stood at the counter where Anna had been sitting last night when Nick had comforted her…about Mac.

"My mother was right…" He turned around to face her. "You were just setting me up for heart break."

Anna was fuming, she may love him…but right now she hated him. "Yeah Nick, I fuckin planned this all in a plot against you. I planned for Josh to come in and kill-"

"The man you love." Nick finished and Anna glared.

"I can't help that." Anna growled.

"Nice excuse." Nick scoffed and she clenched her fists at her sides.

"You know what; I don't have time for this right now. Two of my friends are in the hospital, one just died, and I don't want to have to deal with you right now."

Anna replied storming off towards her room. Nick followed after her, furious. "Deal with me? What the fuck Anna?" He ran after her, but something on his pants got caught on the chair and he turned slightly to try and free himself. Anna whipped around to face him…wrong move.

The minute she turned around Nick freed himself and his hand came flying through the air and landed on Anna's cheek. She gasped and her head snapped to the side as Nick stared in horror. Did he just hit her?

She looked at him in terror and stepped back and turned and ran into her room in shock. "Oh my God." Nick said in horror. "Please tell me I just didn't hit her." He begged and ran to her door. In her terror she didn't lock the double doors and Nick pushed them open. He looked around the room for her and didn't see her. He walked into her bathroom and to the place she always thought he'd never follow. He pulled back the curtain to the small room containing the large shower stall. He saw her curled up in the corner of it crying. "Anna…" He drawled and pulled back the frosted glass sliding door to the stall.

"Go away." She whimpered. "Get the fuck away from me!" She yelled and Nick felt like his heart was being torn from his chest. She was supposed to be able to trust him. Nick bent down and reached out for her in the shower and she flinched back. "Go away!" She ordered and Nick winced.

He felt a warm tear fall down his cheek when he saw the small bruise on her cheek bone. "Anna…I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to hit you. I swear to God Anna…I didn't. My pants got stuck on something and I had to rip them free, but my hand slipped and…and…" he couldn't bring himself to say it. She looked up and shook her head.

"Go away…now."

Nick felt more of his tears fall as he crawled away from the shower and pressed himself against the wall and began to cry. "Please Anna…God, you have to know, I didn't mean to…to…" He gulped back and squeezed his eyes shut. "To…h-hit, you." He struggled and Anna looked at him, and then the rip in his pants…just like he had said.

He saw her look at him and he crawled back towards her and into the shower. She stiffened at the close proximity of their bodies. Nick continued crying and shook his head. "Anna…I'm so sorry."

"Why were you drinking…I know _why _but…"

"I needed a way to escape from reality…I felt like dying when I heard you tell him you love him." Nick replied and Anna sucked in her breath, he still didn't know that she had told him that…twice. And kissed him…twice. "I didn't know any other way to escape so…so I bought a pix pack and decided to drown my pain in beer."

Anna shook her head. She debated on telling him everything…and decided that she had to. "Nick…"

He didn't like the timid tone of her voice and he braced himself, knowing that bad news was on the way. "Yes?"

She closed her eyes and Nick grabbed her hand. She continued crying and Nick looked at her. "He kissed me…" Nick's hand went limp. "And I kissed him back."

Nick let go of her hand and sat in the corner opposite her. She closed her eyes for a second, but then opened them to look at him. Nick turned to face her, grabbed her hand, and slid her to him and held her tight. "I forgive you." He whispered and she only cried harder. She pushed him away and looked at him.

"Why! Why do you forgive me? What's wrong with you…?" She yelled at him. She couldn't quiet grasp the fact that he could forgive her because he couldn't loose her…that made her feel like shit. Nick merely looked at her, and then brought her back to him and kissed the top of her head.

Nick held her in his arms and let her cry. He held her close to him and wished that he could go back in time…back before she was at the hospital with Mac, before she had asked him for sex, before he found her sitting on the counter, before they had fallen asleep…before they even woke up from last night. He just wanted to start the day over and do so many things differently.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**3:40 a.m.**

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

She had stopped crying and was now pulling herself from Nick's embrace. Nick watched as she settled down beside him in the shower stall and put her feet on the ground, and rested her elbows on her knees. "I'm sorry Nick." She said and looked over at him. "I'm sorry I hurt you." She apologized.

Nick wanted to lie and tell her that it was okay and that he was over it…but he couldn't. He wanted to tell her he loved her…but he couldn't. A part of him didn't want to tell her he loved her in her shower stall because she was hurting and the man she loved, not to mention her best friend, had just died and Nick wanted to make sure he could keep her with him.

He loved her and he wanted her to be happy…but his biggest fear was that she would be happy with Mac, and without him. "How long have you known that you love Mac?" Nick asked…it was a question he needed answered.

She sighed and closed her eyes. "I don't know…I think…I think I just realized it tonight…otherwise I would have told him."

Nick closed his eyes and gulped back his tears. So she told guys when she loved them…she wasn't like the typical woman who waited till they were sure the guy loved them back. Nick wished she was like the annoying ones…who didn't tell you. Because that would be a better reason, in his case, of her not telling him that she didn't love him. Shyness versus actually not loving him…yeah, the shy and annoying one was definitely the better way out.

"I'm sorry Nick…" She turned to face him. "But…imagine you were in love with your best friend…and you didn't really know it. But when you were about to loose them…they come out and say that they love you…what do you say to that?" She asked. "Even if I'm not **in** **love** with Mac…I still love him. Whatever kind of love it is…I don't know. But it was still there. No matter how big or small…he still had to know. Wouldn't you want to know…?"

Nick sighed and looked away. She made a point, and the fact that she might love Mac, but wasn't in love with him helped ease the pain a little. "Okay…if Mac hadn't died and still told you he loved you…would you have said it back?"

She thought about it for a minute. "Probably."

"Would you have left me for him?"

"No." She answered automatically and shook her head. "No, I wouldn't have."

"Why?"

She sighed and settled down in front of him. "A lot of reasons…Mac and I…he might have loved me and I might have loved him but…there was too many problems in between us. Mac had stuff he still had to deal with…he had some shit that he had to get together. I couldn't get involved in that. For my sake and Regan's…he was a great guy but…there was still a lot of shit he had to sort out before he could worry about anyone else."

Nick furred his brows and bit his lip to keep from asking what had happened. His CSI side was rearing its ugly head again and he didn't want to upset Anna further. She saw the look on his face and sighed. "Mac got into trouble a few years ago…after he had first quit the drugs he was going through withdrawals and um…" she bit her quivering lip and hated what she was about to say, knowing Nick's reaction wasn't going to be what the both of them needed. "One time he was really angry and drunk…while going threw withdrawals…he hit his girlfriend and knocked her out. He went to prison for abuse and drugs…and DUI. He uh…he got back out and got back into drugs and shot a couple people over a trade gone bad…he went back to prison, and we all stood beside him but…but there was just too many things between us. He freaked me out sometimes…I could have sworn he was about ready to knock me senseless."

Nick paled and stiffened. /-/ oh God…oh God, oh God, oh God…wait, there's a difference between the two of you, you were angry because she had told someone else she loved him…and you aren't on drugs. /-/ Nick threw every possible excuse into his mix to keep from hiding away and empting every content in his stomach into the toilet in the next room.

"He didn't hit you did he?" Nick asked.

Anna shook her head. "No…but I couldn't be around him for a while after that happened." Nick forced himself to sit there and take what was being given to him. He automatically reached out and brushed his thumb against her cheek and let out a sigh of relief when she didn't flinch away from him. She put her smaller hand over his shaking one and closed her eyes. "I know it was an accident Nick."

Nick hung his head and cried even though she understood. "I still hit you…"

"Nick-"

"Anna…" Nick cut her off and looked up at her with tears on his face. "I hit you."

"Because you were dizzy and drunk. Your pants were caught on something and you threw your arm back and accidentally hit me…you weren't even facing me when it happened. You were turned around. It's not like you were aiming for me. I was in my room for all you knew."

"So why did you run?"

Anna inhaled and looked down. "Because it brought me back to every other guy that's hit me." She said softly.

Nick gulped and looked away from her. "Like who?"

"Well Josh obviously…and just about every other guy I've ever been with."

"All of them?" Nick asked, still not looking at her.

"No. But most, I uh…I seem to attract guys that like to swing and control women." Nick closed his eyes and Anna reached out and cupped his cheek and brushed away a tear with her thumb. "I must have done something right and made a change because I got you." She said lovingly. Nick finally looked over at her.

"Did they just hit you…or more?" Nick asked already knowing the answer and dreading it.

She looked away and brought her hand to her lap. She pursed her lips to keep them from quivering. "More." She answered barely perceptibly. Nick looked at her and she sighed, still looking at the marble tiled wall of the midnight blue and light blue shower stall.

"Anna…what happened?" Nick asked cupping her cheek, feeling a river of warm wet tears against his hand. She finally looked at him and moved to sit next to him, far away enough so that he would know that she didn't want to be touched but close enough to feel his presence.

She sighed and looked at the frosted glass door. "I uh…my first boyfriend seemed great at first…I was sixteen and um, it was the uh, 'first boyfriend syndrome'. You think he's perfect and make excuses for every shitty thing he does. He was easily upset and he decided to use me as a punching bag…my friend threatened to call the police and report him if I didn't break up with him so I did…then a series of boyfriends after that…same story. But it got harder and harder to make excuses for…so I stooped lower on the 'shitty boyfriend chain'." She said and Nick closed his eyes, knowing what was bellow abusers.

Top of the 'shitty boyfriend chain' was cheaters, players, obsessers, abusers…

"And I found Carl…he was nice at first, just like everyone else. He didn't hit me but…I knew there was something wrong…I figured it out one night when he came into my room and…attacked me." She forced the words out and Nick felt the anger surging through him. He felt like finding this Carl guy and beating the shit out of him. "So I left him one night when he was sleeping…I didn't wanna risk him getting a hold of Regan."

"How long has Regan been in your custody?"

"Since I was seventeen…our parents didn't want us. They uh…they saw us more of a nuisance then their children. So we left." She explained and Nick shook his head. He know understood why abortion was such a big issue with Anna and Jennifer. "So…I left Carl for Alex…same deal. Then from Alex to Scott. Then from Scott to David…" She smiled softly and sighed "I didn't have enough guts to tell him what was so wrong with me and why we continuously ended up arguing about the same stupid thing over and over again. So when the opportunity came to continue his career I made him take it. I told him that I couldn't be the reason he stayed…not me, and he said then he'd stay for Regan but I wouldn't let him. I figured if he knew the truth then he'd haul ass and bail like any sane person would, and I couldn't put Regan through that. If he stayed for her, and left because of me she'd resent me forever."

Nick shook his head, he knew Super Dave, and that wasn't him. He'd have been the best thing she could have. He'd have stayed and helped her through it. Nick wanted to tell her how wrong she was but she continued.

"So I made him leave…he got mad and angry and he was heart broken but I told him he had to leave. He said he wouldn't go and I told him if he didn't leave me and take the job…if he turned it down to be with me, I'd leave him. I knew that was his biggest fear, me leaving him."

/-/ Funny, that's mine too. /-/ Nick thought.

"So he left and I lied and told Regan that he had to leave so he could finish school so he could follow his dream…but he'd be back soon. I knew that he **would** come back to be with us, so I found out when he did and took Regan on vacation to New York. When he came back I had Jen say I was gone…she didn't want to but I made her, just another manipulation tool I have." Anna commented and rolled her eyes. "Regan and I got back when I was sure he was fed up with me. I figured if he ever did come to find me and he saw me with another guy he wouldn't bother…so I hooked up with Josh. The leader of the 'shitty boyfriend chain'. The entire time I hid it all from Regan. I knew she suspected something but…she didn't know what was going on…until Josh."

Nick looked over at her and waned so badly to hold her in his arms and tell her everything would be okay. "I guess…I was hiding it from Regan and she was hiding it from me. He used me as his punching bag on a regular basis…the living room became a boxing ring on a regular basis. I always ended up driving to the hospital with Regan asleep in the back seat. If she was awake when it happened I'd just cover it up with make-up, or sunglasses, or long sleeve shirts…then she saw what happened one night. Josh had me backed against the wall and was choking me. Regan had woken up when I screamed and came out to see what happened. I just yelled her to go back to bed."

"Did Josh rape you?"

Anna shook her head. "No…he didn't have enough guts for that…"

Nick breathed a sigh of relief and she looked over at him and they simply stared at each other for a while. Nick knew what she wanted to know…what was his story. He sighed and looked away. She looked back at the glass door and tried to focus on her hands instead of the question on the tip of her tongue.

"When I was nine…" Nick began in a soft voice and Anna looked at him. "My uh…my parents left me home with a last minute babysitter. She was a friend of my sister Michelle, and my family really didn't know that much about her. She uh…she came into my room while I was supposed to be sleeping and…she r-raped me." Nick forced the words out much like Anna had. Anna gaped at him and a tear fell for him. "I um…I begged her to stop but, she didn't. She used everything I had in my room to violate me and didn't stop even when I cried."

Anna closed her eyes and sobbed silently for him. "Oh God." She whispered, not loud enough for him to hear.

"I guess that's why I cry so easily now…I'm still hoping that whatever's happening will stop when I cry."

"That's why you fool around with any woman you meet." Anna stated more than asked and Nick nodded.

He knew it was selfish…but he was sort of glad someone understood why he was such a playboy…it was much the same reason Anna was a 'Playboy Bunny' as she was deemed. "I was trying to get rid of the feeling of her…she was all over me…" Nick shook his head. "All I can remember after that is sitting in my room waiting for my mom to get home so she would leave and stop touching me…I never told anyone except Catherine." He said and finally turning to look at her.

He wiped the tears from her cheeks and she closed her eyes and shook her head. "That shouldn't have happened to you…I'm sorry Nicky."

Nick scoffed. "It wasn't your fault…you weren't even born."

Anna sighed and took his other hand in her own and gave a bitter smile. "This has definitely sorted out to be the worst Friday the 13th ever."

Nick scoffed and shook his head at the superstition. "All we need now is for Jason to come out and kill us." Nick joked dryly, trying to lighten the impossibly dark mood.

She shook her head and moved closer to him. Nick instantly reached out for her and held her close to him. "I think that'd be the icing on top of the deathly painful cake." Anna proclaimed softly and Nick held her tighter.

"I'm sorry that happened to you Anna…I really am." Nick said and she sighed.

"I'm sorry too…" She said dryly. "I'm sorry someone you were supposed to be able to trust did that to you…I know how that feels." Anna replied and Nick sighed.

"I'm sorry I hit you."

"It was an accident."

"That still left a mark."

"Everything that happens in life leaves a mark Nick. Whether it's on your face, heart, body, mind, or spirit…good or bad…it leaves a mark. And each mark helps mold us into who we are today…the good and the bad collide and blend to shape us…the experiences we've been through don't dictate who we are…how we use the experiences and lessons we've learned from them make us who we are."

"Despite the horrible things you've been through…I think they've made you one Hell of a person…you used 'em in the right way."

"So did you Nick…even though you strayed along the way, even though we both did and it might have taken some time for me to get it right, I say you did a good job…"

"Yeah…after all, I found you." Nick replied and Anna smiled bitter sweetly.

"I'm sorry I hurt you Nick." Anna apologized again, referring to the subject of Mac from earlier.

"I'm sorry I put you through that whole thing while…Mac…while you were still reeling from Mac and…"

Anna squeezed Nick's hand, letting him know it was okay. He sighed and they laid there. Nick's back braced against the wall while he was half laying, half sitting, with his legs stretched out in the stall and Anna was laying between his legs and resting on his chest as he held her tightly and rested his head on hers. He sighed deeply and started silently crying again. For both of them.

She held his other hand with hers and cried along with them. This wasn't how she thought she'd start the day, nevertheless end last night. She racked her brain continuously trying to find the reason he was still forgiving her, and even though he knew her grueling past, he wasn't running for the hills. Jen's comment from earlier throbbed in her brain,

"_Maybe he sees something that no one else does." _

Anna tried to think of what he could see…a plain girl who's been through so much shit and get her fuckin life together. She made so many of the same mistakes and for the life of her, couldn't understand why her life was so dramatic. She had been pushed aside and pushed away so many times that she had begun mimicking the trait and using against people before they could on her.

"I understand why you pushed David away…I understand why you hurt him." Nick said softly and she looked at him. "It's the same reason I never stay with a girl past the next morning. You figure if you get attached, you'll get comfortable and tell them your past…then they'll leave and break you down." Nick said and Anna nodded softly.

"It still isn't right what I did to him."

"I know…but I understand." Nick replied and Anna nodded.

"How is he now?"

Nick sat back and thought. "He's good…he's good."

"Is he happy?"

Nick smiled and nodded. "Yeah…but he still misses you."

Anna sighed. "I know…but he deserves so much better." She chuckled bitterly. "He treated me like a princess. He gave into whatever I wanted. Never told me 'no'. He'd have given me his parent's life if he could. And while that **is **great…I'm not used to that…I crave a hard hand." She explained and Nick swallowed the bile rising in his throat and shook his head, he knew what she was referring to.

"No. No, no, no. That's what you're used to."

"Yeah, and I freak when I'm treated nicely. You think I picked those fights with you unintentionally?" She asked sharply and Nick looked at her sadly. "I tried to push you away or get you angry at me so you'd leave. It's what I do. Ever since I could talk I was pushing people away before they could push me away and I've perfected it over the years…I am screwed up Nick." She informed him seriously.

Nick sighed and brought her back to him, so that he could still look in her eyes, but he could comfort her. "No…no, you just learned by example…you can't help that. You've just reached the 'self preservation' mode. You do what you have to, to protect yourself and that little girl you love so much." Nick said, referring to Regan. "That's the only way you know how."

"I still don't understand why you're sticking it out." She said half exasperated.

"Because I think you're so worth it." Nick informed her and held her by the waist, and brought her to him. She leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips, and made a face at the beer taste. He bit his lip and gave a sorry expression.

"Are you gonna remember any of this tomorrow?" She asked, worried that they might have to go through this all again, she wasn't sure she could stand another one of these nights. Nick nodded.

"My memory is pretty stable, even after I get drunk." Nick replied.

"So why did you get drunk if you knew you'd still remember everything?"

"It would numb the pain."

"Did it?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah…a considerable amount." Nick replied and Anna mentally kicked herself. If what he was going through was being numbed by the alcohol…she was going to hate to see him tomorrow…when he had a hangover and was still dealing with all of this.

"Nick…I'm sorry I put you threw all of this…this is a lot to handle for only knowing someone eleven days…"

Nick gaped at her. "It's only been eleven days?"

Anna chuckled and nodded. "Yep…I told you I'm a drama queen."

Nick brought her back into his arms. "How do you deal with this on a regular basis? How do you handle all the shit you go through and still stay so positive for Regan and yourself? I'd go freakin insane…you're really strong." Nick informed her and she scoffed. "Seriously Anna…" Nick moved her so he could look at her. "You're amazing." He informed her and she sighed.

"I'm tired." She commented and stood up. She reached down for Nick and helped him to his feet. She stared at him for a moment, then turned around and stepped out of the shower, with Nick following closely behind. She walked out of her bathroom and into her room. Nick stood at the bathroom entrance and looked around her room, not wanting to leave her but afraid to ask if he could stay.

She turned around to face him and saw it all over his face. She took his hand gently and pulled him back towards the bed. She took his shoes off of him and did the same with hers. Nick pulled off his shirt and pants and grabbed his sweat pants he had folded by her bed a few nights before. She pulled off her Capris and crawled into bed in her tiny Tee and boy shorts.

Nick crawled under the covers and embraced her small body in his arms. She laid against his chest and wrapped her thin arms around him and sighed. Nick rubbed her back gently, knowing from past nights that rubbing her back lightly put her to sleep.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**4:20 a.m.**

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

After ten minutes she still wasn't asleep, and Nick looked down at her. "What is it?" He asked and she sighed.

"I don't know…I just…my mind won't stop. I feel guilty, and sad, and hurt, and scared, and alone, and stupid…" She rattled off her emotions and Nick looked at her as she sat up in bed, Indian style and Nick's hand was sitting on her knee. He sat up slightly and continued looking at her.

"Why?"

She sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I feel guilty because I hurt you, sad because I lost my best friend, hurt because…I don't know why I feel hurt or scared…but I feel alone because there's this feeling in my gut telling me that I'm gonna wake up and you won't be there…and I feel stupid because I caused this whole fucking mess and I'm complaining about it when its my fault."

"Its not your fault." Nick objected and she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I still feel like it is."

Nick grabbed her hand with his that wasn't resting on her knee. He pulled her down to him and she rested on his chest and kicked her legs out behind her. She sighed and Nick caught her other hand in his. His other hand rested on her hip and rolled her closer to him and adjusted her so that they were both comfortable. Nick's thumb gently stroked the skin and elastic waist band of her boy shorts. He sighed and shook his head gently, "You shouldn't." He drawled, and she sighed.

Anna let her free hand stroke the area between his pecks and she laid her head on the right side of his pecks. Nick kissed her forehead and she looked up and into his big brown eyes. She laid her head on his shoulder so she could look at him, and he stroked her curly hair and his gaze went from her eyes, to the small bruise on her cheek bone. She caught his gaze and leaned up to kiss his cheek. He moved his head slightly to watch her and she caught his lips accidentally.

Nick kissed her back and his hand that was in her hair went to the back of her neck begged her closer. She brought the hand that was on his chest to his left side and braced herself above him so that she could kiss him. His hand was back in her hair and bunching the silky locks he found. She brought her other hand to brace her up stronger and give her more leverage. Nick's hand that was on her hip went around to the small of her back and eased her down on him.

She slid her leg between his knees and pressed her hip into him, enough to get a reaction from him, but not enough to hurt him. She felt him harden and she slid her hand across his chest and down his defined abs and it rested on his hip. Her other hand came up his arm and shoulder and to his neck, where she pulled him closer to her. His hand that wasn't on the small of her back traveled up the back of her shirt and rubbed the silky skin of her back and he pressed his finger tips into her back and then flattened his palm against her. She pulled her mouth away from his and began kissing his jaw line and neck.

She took her slender finger and traced it along his abs and happy trail as she continued kissing him. She moved back up to his mouth and brought her leg that was between his knees to the other side of him, and Nick picked her up by the waist and sat her up on him. She bent her head back down to kiss him and he brought his hands to her thighs and his thumbs caressed them gently. He pushed her hips into his so she could feel his erection and she moaned against his mouth in pleasure.

Nick shifted his hips up and against hers and she broke away to moan. Nick brought his hands up the front of her shirt and caressed her breasts above her bra. She began to pant and bit her lip as Nick's hands traveled down her sides and gave her goose bumps. She brought her hands down the front of his chest and kissed his chest gently. Nick's hand came out of her shirt and down her hips, thighs, and legs. They came to the insides of her legs and traced up, to the insides of her thighs. He heard her breath quicken and he looked up at her. Their eyes met and Nick's hands trailed up her sides and brought her back down against him so he could kiss her freely.

She rolled over on her back and pulled him on top of her as they continued kissing. Nick's hands went up and in her hair and her braced himself above her on his forearms. She adjusted her legs so that they were straddling Nick and he let one hand travel down her breast and pinch her already protruding nipple between his thumb and index finger. She gasped and kissed him harder, thrusting her hips into his. She paused for a moment and retreated, as did Nick.

Neither of them said it but both of them where thinking the same thing and reading each other's minds…'Biscuit'. They were moving to fast for two emotionally wrecked people. Nick kissed her lips gently and rolled off of her. She cuddled back up next to him but he slipped away from her and she sat up and watched him go worriedly. "Where are you going?"

Nick turned back towards her and smiled embarrassedly. "I uh…I know that neither of us is comfortable with what was going on, and I'm okay with that…but I um…I have a situation to deal with here." Nick said gesturing to his lower region. She pursed her lips to keep from smiling and shook her head.

"Oh…uh, sorry." She said softly. Nick waved his hand and shook his head.

"Nah, nah, it isn't your fault…I was thinkin about Carmen Electra." Nick joked and Anna smiled and threw a pillow at him playfully. Nick smiled back at her and she gave a soft one herself, grateful that he had lightened the mood. He stared at her for a moment and gave a slight nod and she nodded back.

"Alright, go flog your log." She said and Nick burst out laughing. "I stole that line from Grease by the way." She informed him and Nick walked out of the room laughing.

A few minutes later Nick walked back into the room, after actually just making two cups of hot chocolate, and saw Anna laying on the bed, toying with the locket around her neck that Nick had given her. He smiled and walked up to her, setting the cups on the night stand. She smiled and sat up to look at him. "Still can't sleep?"

Anna shook her head and Nick handed her the cup of hot liquid. "Nah, I'm tired but I don't think sleep will come easy tonight." She responded and Nick nodded.

"I'm sorry…again, for putting you through that, and um…" He sipped his hot chocolate and sighed half exasperated.

"Nick, it was an accident." She said slowly with diction as if he was a little kid.

"I know but…"

"Nick…" She grabbed his hand in hers and looked him straight in the eye. "Stop…you did it by accident. It is a tiny, itty bitty, diminutive little bruise…" She embellished the actual size of the bruise; she only lied to assure Nick she was okay. He still sighed and shook his head. "I've had much worse Nick." She said in an effort to comfort him. He looked at her with an 'Oh-please-don't-say-that' look on his face and she sighed. "Would it make you feel better if I covered it up?"

"No, I'd feel like it was a dirty little secret." Nick said and Anna rolled her eyes and climbed off the bed.

"Too bad, I'm covering it up."

"Anna…"

"It's the only way to get you to stop whining." She argued and sat down at her vanity in her bathroom and pulled open an organized drawer of make-up.

Nick furred his brow. "Do you use all of this?"

"No…I use some of it…the rest of it is face stuff for Halloween or when Regan and I do each other's make up on our 'chick nights'."

"Aww…you have girl's nights?" Nick asked glad that their night was taking a different turn from its depressing mood earlier.

Anna chuckled. "No, we have chick nights…they're my version of a girl's night, but rated G for Regan. We have like, cartoons, virgin drinks, junk food, chick flicks that are appropriate for her to watch, and we do each other's make ups and read different issues Seventeen magazine…it's my way of keeping her like a girl…ya know, she throws herself into her books, hates clothes and make-up, plays with bugs continuously."

"Kinda sounds like Grissom." Nick commented and Anna looked at Nick, her mouth hanging open in horror.

"Aww…aw don't say that." She begged, shaking her head and squeezing the liquid concealer on her fingertip. "I respect Grissom and everything…but if Regan turns out like him…I think I'll kill myself." Anna remarked and dabbed the concealer on her cheek bone, biting back a hiss at the contact, so as not to make Nick feel worse than he already did. She blended it in with a straight face even though she felt like screaming. How was it that the littlest wounds hurt the worst?

She continued blending it in and put some press powder over it, followed by tan blush, to blend it in with her skin tone. You couldn't even tell there was a bruise there, she hid it so well. It unnerved Nick to know that she covered it up in such an expertise manner, so she could have a million bruises all over her and no one would even know…

She saw him searching all over her body with his eyes and she knew what he was thinking. "Nick…stop." She told him and looked at him through the mirror. "Quit thinking about how many bruises I could have, where they are, and if I cover them up every day."

Nick looked at her stunned, "How did you know that's what I was thinkin?" Nick drawled after sobering up a bit, but still, the alcohol affected his accent.

She scoffed and began putting away her makeup. "It's all over your face." She explained and sighed. "This is the only bruise I have."

"Ah…it's good to know I'm the only one who's slapped you around recently." Nick said bitterly.

Anna sighed and closed her eyes, "Nick, first off, you didn't slap me around, it's a tiny bruise. Second, it was by accident. You didn't hit me on purpose, you had no intentions of hitting me, it was a, say it with me,"

"Accident." They said in unison and she smiled.

"Good, thirdly…the more you dwell on this…the harder it is to let go of…It's harder to forget on move on without when you keep bringing it up." She explained and Nick sighed. "So please…for my sake and yours," She cupped his cheek and looked into his beautiful brown eyes. "Let it go."

Nick sighed, hung his head, and nodded. "Sorry…the Southern guilt is risin within me Darlin." He drawled and she smirked.

"Yeah well, that's not all that's risen tonight." She said wiggling her eyebrows and she swatted his groin playfully. He yelped in an un-manly manner and jumped back as she chuckled and walked out of the room. Nick followed her and watched as she wandered through the house and settled down on the couch to flip through the channels mindlessly.

Nick sat down next to her and placed his hand on her knee protectively. She smiled and laid down on the couch, pulling Nick down with her so that they were spooning. Nick's arm came around her waist tighter and hugged her slender body to his. He had to curve his body to fit around her considerably protruding ass.

She smiled despite the events of their night and sighed in ease and let Nick's tight embrace sooth her.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Sanders Residence**

**7:23 a.m.**

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Greg walked through his door to the sleeping form of Jen on his couch. He walked up to her and knelt down beside her, brushing a lock of long blonde hair from her face. She opened her eyes and saw his warm, loving face. She reached out and cupped his cheek. "I love you." He blurted and she dropped her jaw. "Marry me."

Jennifer looked at him, stunned. But her answer stunned her more…

**

* * *

A/N:** Yep…that last scene was meant to be short…so R&R and tell me how shocked, angry, frustrated, or happy you are! 


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: **Alright, thoughts are now displayed like this…

_blah blah blah_

they were displayed like this…

/-/ blah blah blah /-/

but they're not anymore...okay…that's it.

**Rating: **M…as always.

**Disclaimer: **I only own Anna, Regan, Jennifer…and any one else who isn't owned by CBS or Jerry Bruckheimer and Anthony E. Zuiker…but if only I owned George Eads…Just him…he's all I want…can't I have him?

**

* * *

Chapter 14: "Love is like a game of Russian Roulette. ****" **

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**Delmarco Residence**

**Saturday May 14, 2004**

**8:51 a.m.**

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Nick rolled over on the couch and almost fell off. He moaned as he felt the effects of a hangover pound through him. "Good job Stokes." He muttered and struggled to sit up. He gripped his head and stumbled to the kitchen and the cabinet where he knew she kept the Advil. He popped them in his mouth and grabbed one of the last beer bottles on the counter to wash out his hangover, a trick he had learned in college. He almost gagged at the bitter taste and shook his head.

He sighed and looked around for Anna, she wasn't there. The sun had already risen and was pouring through the sliding doors. he sighed as he walked out of the kitchen and around the house, peeking into different rooms looking for Anna. He walked into her room and heard the shower running. He knocked on the wall to the bathroom and didn't get an answer. He heard a faint noise and he pulled back the curtain and stepped in the bathroom. He saw her naked form through the frosted glass and he saw her body shaking with sobs.

Immediately he forgot about his hangover and he stepped up to the glass and slid it to the side. Her tears were mixing with the water from the shower head, but he could tell by the look on her face that she was crying. She knew he was there but she couldn't look at him. Nick grabbed her hand and stepped into the shower in front of her and looked into her tear filled, Amazon Green eyes.

She sobbed again and Nick brought her to his chest. He knew that he looked pretty ridiculous, standing in the shower in his sweatpants, holding his naked crying girlfriend, and wanting to cry for her. She sobbed against him and Nick held her slippery body tighter, wanting to make her pain go away.

He felt the warm water pelt him in the back and on his head, and pour down his face and soak him. But he stayed there with her. She cried into his strong chest and covered her face with her hands and shook her head as if that would make everything go away. Nick's hands wrapped around her back and she rested her head on his shoulder. She placed her hands flat against his pecks and put her head under his chin.

Nick placed a kiss on her forehead and continued to hold her. She began sobbing again and Nick brought one of his hands to the back of her head, and held it to his chest as he kissed the top of her head again. "It'll be okay Sweetheart." He said softly.

She cried harder and Nick wanted so badly to make her stop. He couldn't stand to see a woman cry…he never could. And when it was Anna…he wanted to hurt whoever was responsible. But in this case…that was him, the new boyfriend, Josh, the jack ass ex-boyfriend, and Mac, the dead best friend/person she loves. Nick held her tighter and he felt her kiss his shoulder and caress his bicep softly. Nick sighed and rested his head on top of hers and absently rubbed her wet, naked back…and tried not to think of the fact that he was rubbing her wet naked back.

She pulled away from him and looked up at him with broken eyes. He gulped back his tears, not wanting to cry in front of her again for the third time that day, so he looked down…wrong move.

He got a good look at her wet, naked, flush breasts. He looked back up quickly and tried to focus on the ceiling instead of her body. She chuckled dryly and rested her head on his chest again. "Sorry." She apologized and Nick shook his head.

"Hey, it ain't your fault you're hot." Nick drawled and Anna chuckled and he held her tighter. He sighed and she scrunched her nose and looked up at him confused.

"I smell beer."

"Beer and one Advil the morning after a hangover, works almost instantly to erase the pains and strife of a hangover." Nick recited like a commercial. Anna looked at him not sure and she bit her bottom lip. Nick's gaze wandered to the bruise on her cheek that had seemed to grow throughout the night. He gulped back and looked into her green eyes.

"I need to finish shampooing." She stated and Nick paused for a moment before stepping back.

"Okay." He said simply and sat on the seat that was carved into the wall of the large shower stall. He looked around him and furred his eyebrows. "This is a friggin huge shower…this is like, three of my showers in one. It wraps around the other side of the bathroom…its huge!" Nick exclaimed and threw his hands in the air. "This is like a JLo size bathroom…like on Cribz." Nick exclaimed and Anna chuckled and turned towards the shower head to rinse her hair, and he got a nice view of her rear end and he smiled, but looked away.

"Well…I sure like it." She commented softly and tried to force a smile. Nick looked at her sympathetically and sighed.

"I already know the answer to the typical question you ask in a situation like this…so I'm just gonna say it instead of ask it…you're not okay."

She ignored him and continued soaping her hair.

"I think we need to talk."

"We talked for like four hours Nick." Anna pointed out and Nick stood up and walked over to her, entering under the water again and she looked up at him, their eyes never leaving contact.

"Yeah…but not exclusively about how you're feeling about everything…there is so much information that came out last night and…I know we talked some but…I wanna make sure you're…okay." He finished and Anna sighed and dropped her arms to her sides and stepped out of the spray of the shower head. Nick grabbed her arm to stop her from walking away from this situation and he turned to face her, letting his grip loosen when he realized she wasn't going to leave.

"Nick…"

"Anna…baby, I care about you. I wanna make sure you're okay." Anna didn't bother bull shitting him and saying that she was okay. "I know I said I wouldn't push you to make you talk…but it really isn't healthy to keep this bottled up…you have to find a release…and a healthy one." Nick stated and Anna sighed and smirked.

"Jen once told me that the two most common forms of release are sex and yelling…I don't like yelling." Anna informed him and Nick gave a crooked smile and shook his head.

"Dirty girl. Are you using your sexuality against me?"

Anna chuckled and shook her head playfully. "Never." She lied and Nick shook his head slowly at her and she sighed. "Ah, foiled again."

Nick stepped closer and brought her closer to him. "Hey…we need to talk." Nick said and she sighed heavily.

"I hate talking." She mumbled and rested her head against his chest. Nick chuckled.

"How reversed are we? The man likes to talk and the woman doesn't." Nick replied and Anna looked at him curiously.

"Do you think that your finger nails are too long?" Anna asked off the subject. Nick raised his eyebrow and looked at her oddly. He paused and stuck his hand out, palm down, fingers spread, out in front of him to examine his nails. Anna covered her mouth and began laughing hysterically.

Nick looked at her oddly and chuckled confused. "What?" He asked bewildered and Anna shook her head and continued laughing. "What?" Nick asked getting flustered.

"You're more feminine than you are masculine." She gasped between breaths. Nick looked at her confused and shook his head.

"What!" He asked in protest and she nodded.

"The feminine side of you dominates your actions and feelings…" She giggled and Nick gaped at her.

"Are you saying I'm gay?" He asked in amazement. She didn't answer, only laughed and snorted in a very un-feminine manner and Nick shook his head, frustrated that she had proved that about him. But actually, Nick was fine with that fact and that she thought that about him…anything to make her laugh. Trying to keep up the game, he huffed, causing her to laugh harder and bury her hand in his chest. "I'm not gay." Nick protested.

Anna continued laughing.

"I'm not…would I be with you if I was gay?"

Anna laughed harder and started gripping her sides and gasping for air. She calmed down a little and then looked at Nick, and started laughing again. "Now I know why you haven't made a move on me…a wet, naked, girl in a **huge** lonely shower."

Nick stared at her and then pulled her to him roughly and smothered her lips with a passionate kiss. His hands went from her back, to her hips, then her ass, where he grabbed her and thrust her towards him. Her hands came under his arms and held his shoulders as the water that poured down on them turned cold. They finally pulled apart and Nick looked at her with a smug smile on his face. "Still think I'm gay?"

Anna chuckled and licked her freshly kissed lips as she flashed a devious smile. "I never said I thought you were gay…" She pointed out Nick thought back to his comment about her using her sexuality against him. He finally realized what she had done and growled and pulled her back to him for another kiss.

She pulled away and turned off the water and jumped out of the shower. Nick watched her walk away and she turned her head back around to smile at him and toss him a towel. She grabbed a towel herself and walked out of the room, wrapping the towel around herself in the process. Nick chuckled and shook his head, while drying himself off.

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**Turtle Park**

**Parking Lot**

**9:36 a.m.**

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Anna and Nick stepped out of his Tahoe and waited by the car for Jen, Greg, and Regan. Anna was twirling her thumbs, and shifting back and forth, brimming with anticipation upon seeing Regan. She lifted her sunglasses and Nick looked at her cheek, the bruise was gone. Or covered up, rather. He secretly wondered whether she did it

Nick chuckled and walked up to her and leaned next to her against the car. He threw his arm around her shoulders and began playing with her long, brown, curly hair. She chuckled and moved into his warm embrace and leaned her head against his chest.

Nick cleared his throat and rested his chin on her shoulder. "So, tell me again, why are we meeting them here?"

"Jen said she needed somewhere for Regan to play…I don't know…she sounded weird on the phone." Anna commented and Nick sighed and wrapped his arms around her waist. She sighed but perked up when she saw Jen's car pull up. She smiled and jogged over to them and Regan ran into her arms. Anna squealed and hugged her tight. "Ah! I'm missed ya Toots!" She exclaimed and kissed the top of her head.

Nick chuckled and crossed his arms across his chest as he watched Anna pick Regan up and hold the seven year old on her hip. "Separation anxiety much Anna?" Nick asked and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"I missed her…so sue me." Nick chuckled and Anna turned to Jen and Greg. "So uh, what's up you guys…what's goin on?"

Regan smiled knowingly and slid out of Anna's arms to scurry off and play. Anna looked at her as she ran off and then back to Jen and Greg suspiciously. "What's goin on guys?" Nick drawled and Jen smirked.

"Jennifer Gabbler tell me what the Hell kind of uh-oh you made." Anna demanded and Jen smiled.

"Well it's not Jennifer Gabbler anymore!" She exclaimed and thrust her left hand towards Anna and Anna gasped in horror.

"Holy shit Jen!" Anna screamed and Nick gaped at her hand.

"Damn girl!" He grabbed her hand and examined the ring. "Look at that rock!" He exclaimed and Anna looked at Nick, giving him a sly smile in reference to their conversation of his sexuality from earlier. Nick dropped her hand and grunted. "I mean uh…" He grunted again. "Yeah…"

Anna shook her head and looked back at Jen and then to Greg's ecstatic face. "Oh God…tell me it's not Jennifer Gabbler-Sanders."

"It's not Jennifer Gabbler-Sanders."

"Oh thank God!" Anna exclaimed and grabbed her heart in relief.

"It's Jennifer Sanders."

Anna moaned and Nick caught her in his arms. "Uh Greg…what the Hell…"

"Well, I came home from work…"

**/-/ Flashback /-/ **

_She reached out and cupped his cheek. "I love you." He blurted and she dropped her jaw. "Marry me." _

_Jennifer looked at him, stunned. But her answer stunned her more…_

"_Yes." Jennifer answered. _

"_What?" Greg asked amazed and looked at her like she had just said yes to marry him…oh wait, she had. _

"_Yes." _

"_You'll marry me?" _

"_Yes." Jennifer said chuckling. _

"_Say it again." _

"_Yes!" She exclaimed and Greg picked her up and kissed her. _

"_Wait." He sat her back down on the couch and dashed for his room. He came back out and Jennifer had straightened out her 'bed-head' appearance. He walked back over to her and got down on one knee. "Jennifer Gabbler…while you marry me?" _

_She chuckled and shook her head. "Yes." She said and Greg slipped the ring on her finger. She gasped. "Greg…oh my God." _

_The ring was a gold band, three carrot, princess cut diamond. "It was my grandmother's." _

_Jennifer stared in awe at the ring and kissed Greg again. "Let's get married." _

_Greg chuckled. "I think we've established that we are." _

"_No, I mean right now." _

"_Like…Vegas style?" _

_Jennifer chuckled. "Yeah…" _

**/-/ Present /-/ **

Anna sat on the swing and stared ahead in shock. "So what, you just…drove to the wedding chapel and got married?" Anna asked in disbelief and turned in her swing to look at the newlyweds next to her.

"Yep…Regan was one of our witnesses."

"Who was the other one?" Nick questioned.

"Elvis." They both answered and Nick shook his head.

"I had to ask…"

Anna shook her head. "Okay…I'm having a hard time grasping this…"

"Annie, sweetie…calm down."

Anna sighed and looked straight ahead. "I think I need some Ben and Jerry's." She commented, and stood up, Jen hot on her heels. Nick watched them leave and Nick shook his head and looked back at Greg.

"Now, pardon my French, but what the Hell were you thinking!"

"I was thinking I was proving to her that I'd stick by her side." Greg explained and Nick gawked at him.

"Dude, I said do something heartfelt and sincere not stupid! Buy her a puppy and show her that you know how to take care of a 'baby' like a likelihood experiment of whether or not ya'll would make good parents. Not friggin marry her!"

Greg sighed, "Look, I almost lost her last night…not to mention it was because she took over for someone because she couldn't stand to be near me because she thought I was going to leave her…"

"So how the hell does marrying her change everything?" Nick inquired, flabbergasted.

Greg didn't answer. Nick sighed and looked back towards the girls at the counter.

"Jen…what the Hell were you thinking?" Anna asked while rubbing her head in a stressful gesture.

"Anna…don't you think you could be a little more supportive?"

"Supportive-" Anna threw her hands in the air, "Jen, you've known the guy for four days! Do you even know what his middle name is!"

Jen opened her mouth to answer, but snapped it shut when she realized she didn't. "Well…do you know his middle name?"

"No, but I'm not the one who married him on a brainless whim!"

"Anna! Chill out!"

"Jen, its Greg! As in Greg Sanders! He sticks markers up his mouth and pretends to be a walrus!"

"He makes me laugh!"

"So you married him because he makes you laugh and can give you and orgasm!" Anna shouted, attracting the attention of several people. Jennifer blushed and Anna ignored them. "Jen…you have to get this annulled."

"What? No! We can't…we've already consummated the relationship."

"Jennifer! Think about what you're doing! You barely know him, you can't even agree on what to do if you get pregnant, you have no idea how you two will react to each other…"

"Anna…"

"Jennifer, do you love him?"

"Love isn't everything."

"So why did you marry him…if not for love, then what? It isn't for security…he's poorer then you are. It's not for compatibility because the two of you hardly talk…it's mostly grunting. So why…why Jen?"

Jennifer sighed and didn't answer. Anna shook her head and looked over, her gaze landing on Nick who was thinking the same thing as she was…

These two fucked up.

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**Sidle Residence **

**10:13 a.m.**

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Sara walked up to her door and stood there as her date shifted nervously, like all first dates, it had been awkward. But Sara thought Aaron was charming…he was sweet, smart, charismatic…but there was just something about him that was missing. She couldn't place her thumb on it…but it was tugging at the back of her mind.

She sighed and turned to face him, wondering what the next move was. It had been a while since her last first date, and apparently they've changed the rules of 'the dating game'. Sara shifted and tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear and let her dark brown orbs wander up to his bright blue ones… /-/ Wait! His eyes aren't blue, Aaron's eyes are green…green…not blue. The only person with blue eyes that I know is Gr-… /-/

She cut off that thought by clearing her throat. "Um…yeah, so…"

"I'll um…I guess I'll see ya later."

"Yeah." Sara said and flashed her signature 'toothy' smile that drove the men she knew wild.

Aaron was no exception. He licked his lips and shifted his eyes nervously. She chuckled and looked back down. When she brought her head back up Aaron's lips crashed into hers. She felt herself being figuratively knocked back, but she slowly began kissing him back.

Sara felt as though they were being washed, and adverted her eyes to the left; over Aaron's shoulder to the hallway behind him and opened her eyes. She gasped and pulled away from Aaron staring at the sight in shock. "Grissom?"

Aaron turned around to see and older man staring at Sara and him, a depressed and slightly distraught. "Sara." Grissom choked out.

"What are you doing here?" Sara asked in shock and Grissom opened his mouth to say something, but he ended up stuttering with no words. "Grissom." She snipped and shook her head aggravated. "Aaron…I'll see you later okay? Thanks for the breakfast and talk…I really enjoyed it." She said and gave a small smile. Until she looked back at Grissom where her expression was hard.

Aaron looked back and forth between the two, confused, but nodded. "Alright…bye Sara." He responded and walked out of the hall, giving Grissom the suspicious, quick, once-over and left. Sara stood there angrily for a moment, and then turned to unlock her apartment door.

"Sara-"

She whipped around to face him and shook her head. "Grissom…no. I don't want to hear it. Unless you have a logical excuse for being here you should just-"

"But I do have a good excuse…I came to bring you the case file." Grissom held up the manila folder and Sara sighed, half annoyed. She tugged on her navy blue button up shirt and walked over to him. She snatched the folder and skimmed through it and huffed.

"Thanks." She murmured and Grissom looked away and sucked in his lips as a trait of habit. She sighed and rubbed her forehead tiredly. "Well…I'm working tonight, so I'll see you at the lab." She said and turned to walk towards her door.

"Hey Sara," Grissom called after her and Sara turned around to face him. "I uh…" She looked at him, eagerness brewing inside her, but she didn't let it show. "I just wanted to um…" She looked at him and silently sucked in a breath. "You're doing a great job." He copped out and Sara sighed in irritation.

She nodded and bit her upper lip to keep from yelling at him for being such a wuss. "Yeah." Was all she said as she threw open her door and slammed it shut behind her.

Grissom sighed as he realized he just made things ten times worse. He could have said nothing. He should have said three simple words. But instead he said something stupid only to make her angrier…

"Good job Gil." He muttered and climbed down the stairs of her apartment building in a despondent mood.

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**Delmarco Residence**

**10:15 a.m.**

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Anna and Nick walked through the door with Regan trailing close behind. They laid their shoes by the door and proceeded through the house. Anna tossed her purse on the kitchen counter and huffed. "I cannot believe her…she barely knows him…why would he propose on such a whim?"

Anna asked no one in particular and Nick sighed. "I told him that he needed to prove that he'd stick around…I didn't think that he'd go off and marry her…" Secretly Nick was slightly grateful for Jennifer and Greg's little diversion from Anna and Nick's intense conversation the night before, it getting out of control, and Mac's death…

Anna sighed and sat down on the couch as Regan cuddled up in her lap, and Anna stroked her hair. Nick stood at the counter and watched them, Anna smiled and patted the couch next to her and Nick smiled and sat down beside her and Regan. He slung his arm protectively around Anna and pulled her so that she was leaning on him, and Regan was still curled up in her lap. Nick handed her the remote and she pushed it back towards him for him to control.

After a few minutes of channel surfing they all decided on a suitable show and settled in to watch it. Nick was lazily trailing his fingers lightly up and down her arm. She rested her head against his shoulder and it took everything in him not to bite, suck, and kiss the exposed skin on her neck. She heard him intake a breath and she lifted her head and turned her head to look at him and smile teasingly. Nick's other hand came around and gripped her arm tightly, the one that wasn't connected to the hand that was stroking Regan's hair.

She chuckled softly, barely loud enough for Nick to hear and he continued stroking her arm. She looked down to see that Regan had fallen sleep. She chuckled and nudged Nick, who looked down to see the sleeping seven-year-old. "Awww." He said softly and Anna chuckled.

"She's so cute." Anna remarked and Nick nodded.

"You wanna put her in her room?"

Anna shook her head and brushed the child's hair out of her face. "Nah…I don't wanna move her." Anna replied and Nick chuckled.

"Seriously Anna, separation anxiety." Nick joked and Anna scoffed.

"So…we've never spent more than a night apart…I like to keep her close by." Nick chuckled and gently stroked her other arm, and gripped the other one, holding her against him. "Nick…" She said in a warning tone.

Nick chuckled and shook his head. "What, it's not like I'm gonna try anything." He whispered and nuzzled his face into her neck, sending chills through her and she giggled.

"_Nicky,_ control yourself." She teased and Nick sat back.

"Alright, alright, I'll be good." Nick said, and kept stealing quick glances at the area of her neck that was exposed. He smirked and dove back in for her ticklish spot on her neck and she tried to keep still so she wouldn't wake Regan. She giggled and tried to squish her neck to her shoulder to keep his face away from her neck, but he just went for the other side. She squealed and tried to pull away from him, but couldn't because Regan was blocking her.

"Stop Nick!" She whispered in a snippy/playful voice. "If you make me wake her up I swear to goodness…" She warned and Nick sat her up and took Regan off of Anna's lap and began carrying her into her room. "Where are you going?" Anna asked and followed them through the house. "Nick…"

He laid Regan in her bed, turned out the light, and closed the door. He turned to face Anna, and she dashed off in the other direction, squealing in mock-terror. Nick ran after her and chased her through the living room, kitchen, dining room, out the sliding glass door, across the patio, and to the docks. She ran to the end, and then turned around to face him.

"End of the line Delmarco." Nick said in a phony villain voice. "No where to go."

Anna smiled and turned around and jumped in the water, fully clothed. Nick stared at her in shock and waited for her to resurface. When she did Nick ran off the dock and jumped in, also fully clothed. He resurfaced and they were both struggling to stay afloat with the weight of their wet clothes. "Why'd you jump in?" Anna asked confused.

"I really don't know." Nick replied and began swimming towards her.

"No, Nick. I can barely stay up with the weight of my clothes…I can't stay up if you chase after me."

"So take off your clothes." Nick suggested jokingly with a smirk, and then gaped at her when she peeled off her shirt and unbuttoned her jeans and tossed them at the dock with her shirt. "Anna…I was just kidding."

"Yeah well, it was either sink or strip."

"I like your choice." Nick wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and she shook her head and swam towards him. "Anna…aren't you worried about people seein you?" He drawled and she shook her head.

"Nope, I'm the only one on the lake…and this looks like a bathing suit so…"

"Yes, a pink lace bathing suit that's enhancing your cleavage." Nick replied and Anna chuckled and swam up to him.

"Yeah well…I choose to swim in my under garments rather than sink because the weight of my wet jeans. And it ain't like you haven't seen me naked before…I'm wearing more clothes now than I was this morning."

"Yes, but then you were crying…it's like automatic system shutdown. Crying isn't a turn on. Especially when it is you crying." Nick pointed out and kicked his legs harder to stay afloat. She chuckled and shook her head.

"Just strip to your boxers, it's easier to swim that way."

"Well this is your entire fault so…"

"So, I didn't ask you to jump in after me. You did that yourself mister. I promise its easier to swim this way, no one will see you, and your clothes are wet anyway." She pointed out.

"You're so desperate to get me in my boxers huh?" Nick teased and she rolled her eyes.

"I just don't wanna have to save your ass when you're drowning."

Nick chuckled and pulled his shirt over his head and threw it on the docks with Anna's clothes. She chuckled as he struggled to take off his belt and take off his jeans and then toss them on the docks. Anna chuckled and swayed her arms around her to stay afloat and chuckled at Nick's self conscious blush.

She smiled and swam over to him and grabbed his arms and pulled him to her. "Relax Baby…you're way too tense and frigid…chill out. No one can see you except me."

Nick relaxed a little and she kicked away from him and began swimming backwards, doing back strokes out into the lake. Nick watched her sculpted body swim, and then started out after her. She picked up the pace and made him work to catch her. She stopped suddenly and he almost crashed into her, but stopped and grabbed her around the waist and kissed her, while kicking his legs to stay above the water.

He pulled on her hand so that he was doing back strokes, and she was doing breast strokes to get towards the shore, all the while their lips never leaving contact. Once they were able to stand but were still immersed in water they pulled apart and Anna began to laugh. "They should put that in the Olympics…that's tough."

Nick nodded and grabbed her hand to pull her back to him and he kissed her again. He let his hands travel over her body that was under the cover of the lake's water. His hands traveled down her thighs and she pressed her lips harder into his. He brought his hand to her hips and lifted her up so that her legs were wrapped around him, bracing herself up, and Nick walked out of Lake Mead, and onto the shore. He continued kissing her as they walked through the patio and into the house. They quietly slipped into Anna's room, so as not to disturb Regan, and Nick laid her back against the covers.

He went to the curtains and pulled them shut and closed the door. He walked over to the bed and lay down next to her. "We need showers." She informed him and he stared at her in shock.

"You just took a shower this morning! I swear to God you shower more than anyone else I know…" He shook his head and helped her off the bed. "Well…I will be a gentleman and let you take a shower first. But don't take too long cause if I get caught in a cold shower you're in so much trouble." Nick warned and Anna shook her head.

"I won't take long." She rubbed her smooth legs against his thigh and smiled mischievously. "I already shaved." She rolled over on the bed and pretended like it was no big deal and Nick shook his head.

"Oh! That ain't even right!" He exclaimed and pulled her back to the bed and gently pinned her by the wrists and straddled her hips. He brought her arms down to her side and released her wrists when her hands were tucked under her back. He raised her up slowly and kissed her neck. She closed her eyes, smiled, and bit her bottom lip. Nick let his hand brush the inside of her thigh, dangerously close to her heat and he pulled away. "Go take your shower." He said simply and she glared playfully at him. "Hey Baby, two can play at your game."

"Ah, you're striking back."

"Like the Empire." Nick replied in true 'Jedi' form. Anna scoffed and pushed him lightly.

"Geek."

"Tease."

"I've been called worse." She called over her shoulder and Nick chuckled and walked out of the room as they went their separate ways. He snuck into the guestroom and grabbed his duffle bag from work so he could change after his shower.

He lay back against the sheets of Anna's bed and closed his eyes. About ten minutes later Anna turned off the shower and stepped out, wrapping herself in a towel in the process. She walked into her room and saw Nick lying on the bed and he looked over and winked at her. She gave a soft smile and motioned to the shower. "Your turn Tex."

He stood up and walked into the bathroom as Anna went to her drawers for clean clothes. She grabbed a matching bra and panties set and grabbed an emerald green Tunic tank, a pair of jeans, and a matching brown leather belt with emerald stones and diamonds fashioned in it. She dropped her towel and reached for her underwear when Nick came around the corner.

"Hey Anna I- Whoa! Sorry!" He spun around and covered his eyes and Anna chuckled.

"Uh Nicky, you've seen me naked before."

"Yeah, but you were expecting it then and…I wasn't really looking so much as…"

"Feeling." Anna finished for him and clasped her bra and slid on her underwear. "I'm covered." She called and Nick turned around and blushed. "Aw, Sweetheart, calm down. It's okay that you saw your girlfriend naked." She stated and Nick chuckled.

"I was uh…I was gonna say that I wanted to take you to diner tonight."

"Okay." She saw how embarrassed Nick was and she gave a comforting smile. "Go take your shower." She said pointing to the bathroom. Nick darted off in that direction and she couldn't help but laugh…he really was too cute sometimes.

Completely innocent one minute…then a full blown man the next.

It was kinda sexy…

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**Gabbler Residence**

**1:34 p.m.**

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Greg stepped into Jennifer's apartment and was immediately hit by the earthy feel of the room. She had olive green walls with chocolate brown trim and gold accents. The furniture was plush and brown to match the trim of the walls. It was very homey and welcoming. She smiled and turned around to face him. "So whose house are we going to live at?" Jen asked, the questioned sounded absurd to her ears and mind…but she pushed that thought away.

"Uh…well, your place is bigger so…I guess I can just move my stuff in here and…yeah." Greg said awkwardly and Jennifer nodded.

/-/ Okay Jen, this is your husband…things aren't supposed to be awkward…oh my gosh…could Anna be right? Do we have nothing in common? Is everyone gonna tell us to split when they find out about this? How are we gonna tell them? Who exactly are we gonna tell/-/ Jennifer's mind raced at a mile a minute and she shifted uncomfortably. "So Greg…are we gonna tell everyone about this?" She asked and Greg raised his brow.

"Well I don't see how we couldn't…we're married." Greg had to think about the words before he said them. /-/ Holy shit Greg…you're married. You're somebody's husband…Jen is your wife…wow that sounds weird. Damn, was everyone right about this? Elvis sure seemed to think it was a good idea. But how much can you rely on a dead guy/-/ Greg thought and looked around, feeling suddenly suffocated.

"Well…_how_ are we going to tell them…obviously we need a softer approach than we took with Anna and Nick." Greg nodded and sat down on his wife's couch…**his** wife…**her** couch…that **wasn't **his. Was that weird? He sighed and looked around the room as she continued. "They didn't handle it too well…but we can't really expect hem to, I mean, they're our best friends…could you imagine being dealt a shocker like that?" Jen replied trying to lighten the mood.

Greg was silent a moment, and then it hit Jen what she had said…they_ had_ been dealt a shocker like that…they lived it. And it was only hitting them just now.

They had rushed things…

Obviously.

They needed to think things through…

That was a given.

And they needed to talk…

Something they couldn't do.

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**Delmarco Residence**

**3:18 p.m.**

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"Men shouldn't talk to each other! They should just sit there, eat chips, drink beer, and watch football games!" Jennifer exclaimed and threw her head back on Anna's couch. Anna chuckled and sat in the recliner, tucking one leg under her as she sat and handed Jennifer a cup of hot chocolate.

Jennifer had come over so that she and Anna could talk, and they sent the boys to the lab to catch up on paperwork and cases, Nick was working tonight since he didn't the night before and they were slightly behind. Anna sighed and grabbed her loose pony tail and slid it onto her left shoulder and let Jennifer continue venting.

"If guys didn't talk to each other we wouldn't be in this mess!"

"We?" Anna asked half smirking, but Jen ignored her.

"If Nick hadn't talked to Greg then he wouldn't have been so compelled to ask me to marry him. Then I wouldn't have said yes and we wouldn't have gone to a drive thru chapel. Ick! That was **so **tacky! Annie, you know I've always dreamed of a big white poofy dress, with hundreds of guests, doves and bubbles because the doves can't digest rice and they'll blow up… and a big band, and flowers, and a big cake…" Jennifer said beginning to cry. Anna sighed and looked into her mug of chocolate, waiting for Jen's tears of regret and frustration to stop. "Now I'm not gonna have that because Nick likes to have deep, meaningful talks…"

"He's about as bad as a woman." Anna tossed in her two cents.

"I can't believe this."

"You can't blame this all on Nick. He talked to your idiotic…husband, true, but your **husband** made the **move**. And I thought you didn't regret getting married."

"I don't!" Jennifer whined and slid her feet under herself as she sat more comfortably. "I regret getting married so soon."

"What about regretting marrying Greg? Is that anywhere in the mix?" Anna asked knowingly. Jennifer bit her lip and shook her head.

"No." She said unsure. "He's a great guy and we really do care about each other. We make each other laugh and we actually good friends…its just sort of hard to talk to each other sometimes…" She said more to herself.

"Like how?" Anna asked, wanting her to go on.

"Like…we don't want to hurt each other's feelings, we're not entirely comfortable with each other, and we're not exactly sure how to approach some situations."

Anna nodded and thought. "Jen, I'm gonna point something out to you, you've probably heard this a few times already, maybe you haven't. You've probably thought it, you've probably seen it in Greg's eyes…the two of you rushed into this."

Jennifer sighed. "How do I fix this…? I've always wanted a guy who knew how to 'handle' me, for lack of a better word. And Greg seems really reliable, despite our fight." Jennifer paused and bit her lip at the singular word at the end of her statement. Anna practically read her mind.

"Fight? Singular? Now, take this from someone who knows…fights can be a **bad** thing, but they are also crucial for a healthy relationship. Everyone's gotta have a good yell now and then. Think of it like a bottle of coke. You're the bottle, and the coke inside is the bubbling emotion. Each time you shake the bottle, aka get angry with your spouse, the bubbles in the coke grow and grow. If you don't fight, take the cap of the bottle, after enough times shaking it, it'll explode! Or go flat." Anna added and nodded. Jennifer seemed to be processing the facts and taking it semi-well.

"So…you're saying we made a mistake by not fighting more?"

Anna sighed exasperatedly and took Jen's hands in a sisterly manner. "No. I'm saying you two haven't known each other long enough to be in a serious relationship, nevertheless have you two had enough fights to have a mature, adult connection. You don't know a lot about each other so you're shy and timid around each other, hence not having enough to fight about. Fighting helps you to realize what pisses each other off about the other person. If its something you can change, you try like hell to change and if not…then you split."

"Well like what? How do you know if its something you can work out without wasting all your time?"

"If its something you absolutely can't live without. Like, take Regan for example. I love her more than anything else in this world. If a guy I was involved with wasn't okay with that then…he's gone. She's something I can't and wouldn't change. Lucky for me, Nick adores her, and she adores him. Something that you can change…nasty habits. Like drinking. I don't allow alcohol in the house, so if Nick likes to drink, he has to leave it at the door or go out with boys. He didn't know that last night so when he got drunk…" She waved the thought away and tried to focus on Jen.

"What if its something you don't know if you can change but it could tear apart your relationship? Like your job."

"Well…in that case, you might just have to make it work. Like, you work days and he works nights. So, switch to nights."

"I hate nights…"

"So switch to swing shift. You'll get more time with him then you would if you were on days. Greg can't give up his job as nightshift DNA boy/ aspiring CSI."

"Why?"

"…Because he loves it." Anna said simply and flipped her ponytail of her shoulder. "That's one of the things the two of you have to work out. Relationships are all about adjustments and sacrifices. You just have to know your limits on adjusting and what you can and can't sacrifice. Sex is a big issue with that. But lucky for you and Greg all you've been doing is screwing so the two of you know that you have no problems there."

Jen gave a small sly smile. "Yeah…**that** we're good at."

Anna chuckled and wiggled her eyebrows. "Well, lucky for you, sex is a good outlet for stress."

"What about you and Nick?"

"What about me and Nick?"

"Well, do you guys have any problems in the bedroom?"

Anna sighed and sipped her hot chocolate, knowing that this information was safe with Jen, she calmed a little. "Well…we both uh…we both like to…well, for lack of a better word, 'dominate', in the bed room."

"Oh…so, you both like the top? I can fix this, who's better on top?"

Anna chuckled and shook her head. "I don't know…we haven't had a chance to figure that out yet."

"You two haven't had sex!"

"Hey, not every relationship consists of two rabbits like yours and Greg's." Anna defended. "We're taking it slow."

Jennifer eyed her suspiciously. "He can't get it up can he?"

"What! Jen! No! That is **definitely** not the problem."

"Gets it down too quick for you to enjoy?" Jen asked, a half smirk playing on her lips.

"Okay, I'm ending this conversation if you don't state your questions more tastefully."

"Okay, okay, chill out. So what's the problem?"

"Well…we keep on getting interrupted."

"Easy solution, I'll take Regan off your hands. You and Nick can give a good boink, everyone will be happy."

"Okay, first of all, I am not shipping my sister off just so I can screw my boyfriend without being interrupted. Second of all, boink? Seriously, who says that anymore?" Jennifer laughed and shook her head as Anna rolled her eyes. "Thirdly, we can't. I'm menstrual."

"Oooh! Sucky. Poor Nicky, he must be so 'pent up'. Is he running off to the bathroom every ten seconds?" Jennifer asked and Anna almost fell over laughing. "Aw, now don't laugh at the boy, he's young and horney, it doesn't help that he's shacking up with his super hot girlfriend who hardly ever wears full outfits around the house."

Anna continued laughing and Jennifer merely shook her head. "Nick and I are not shacking up. Jen…leave Nicky and Little Nicky alone for a minute."

"He named it Little Nicky?" Jennifer asked, interrupting.

"I know! It's too common."

"Totally…you should name it something crazy like…"

"Princess Sofia." Anna replied with a smirk and Jennifer laughed.

"Annie, you ripped that off How to Loose a Guy in 10 Days."

"Good movie though."

"Totally."

"What I don't get is, who in the Hell would want to loose Matthew Mcconaughey!" Anna asked and Jennifer shook her head.

"I do not know…but I'll take him!"

"Jen, watch it, you're married now."

"Oh yeah…shit…"

"You need to watch what you say and who you're flirting with…as in no flirting with anyone except Greg."

Jennifer sighed. "I'm not a very good wife am I?"

"You're inexperienced. Did you have an exemplar?"

"No."

"So how are you supposed to automatically know this? You've been on your own since you were, like, what, four?"

Jennifer nodded. "Four and a half."

"Well…foster homes don't leave good examples." Anna said sympathetically and Jennifer looked into her best friends green eyes. "You can't totally blame yourself…but you can't totally blame everyone else. Everyone had a part in this." Anna explained and she watched as Jennifer took it all in and sighed. "Despite your lack of a role model…you can't let your marriage go to hell because of what happened when you were younger. Yeah there's gonna be draw backs to it, and yeah, you're gonna have a tough time dealing with some things just because of the current situation. But if you actually think there is something worth saving between you and Greg…don't give up. No one ever got anywhere by giving up. Look at Belle." Anna said knowing that it was Jen's favorite princess. "She was forced into a shitty situation when she went to get firewood for her father, she got stuck with a beast. A hasty decision ended up in an even shittier situation."

Jennifer rolled her eyes and Anna smirked, as she continued.

"They were forced to stay together and bear each other's intolerable qualities. They actually survived, despite the fact that he was a beast with crazy hair, and she was a beauty with a strong will. They ended up falling in love, and he turned into her prince. Now, I'm not saying that Greg is gonna transform from a beast into a prince, and he's certainly not going to do it in 75 minutes." Jennifer chuckled. "But he just may be good for you. I don't know. No one does. It's all a game here, despite what most people say, love **is **a game."

"Which one, Candy land?"

"Why Candy land?"

"Full of sugary-sweet surprises."

Anna scoffed. "Hell no. Not unless you can substitute the river of chocolate for a river of shit." Anna joked and Jennifer rolled her eyes. "No, Love is like a game of Russian Roulette. You never know when its your turn to ask the questions, and at any moment, you can fall. Whether its in or out of love, or into a puddle of mud…you never know. One wrong answer can cost you the game. But that_ can_ be a good thing depending on who you're playing with or against."

"What do you mean against?"

"Well…sometimes the one person you hate the most, is the one that's gonna complete you. And the ones who start out hating the ones they're supposed to be with are the lucky ones."

"So, wait, hold on…then why do you hate them if you're supposed to be with them…and how are they lucky?"

"Well, they get to see how life is without each other before they even have to experience loosing each other."

"So…"

"So, odds are, that eventually every couple will break apart and separate for a while or just spend sometime apart. They then have to see how their life would be without the other person. Sometimes its better, sometimes it isn't. Its then that you realize your future is either with or without them and you make your move. The people who hated each other at first have a less likely chance of doing that because they already know what life is like, and they won't want to go back to that, but that doesn't mean its fool proof. They can still separate for a while and figure it out later…it's a waiting game."

"So many games when it comes to love."

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

**LVPD Crime Lab**

**Layout Room**

**4:32 p.m.**

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Nick had finished laying out the evidence along the table when Greg walked in to hand him a piece of paper. Nick looked at him briefly, then back to the table as he motioned him over. "Hey, hey Greggo, come here."

Greg turned around and walked back towards him. "Yeah?"

"Help me lay this out." Nick asked and Greg nodded.

"Which case?"

"Diner shoot out."

Greg nodded slowly. "How'd Anna take it, Mac's death I mean, and knowing who did it?"

Nick sucked in a breath and winced. He really didn't want to talk about that subject and Anna's involvement…he had brought Greg over to subtly talk to him about Jennifer, not Anna. But knowing that it was only fair to exchange information, he sighed. "Horribly…we didn't do too well. How about you and Jen?"

Greg smirked and shook his head; he had suspected that was why Nick had brought him over here. He shook his head and chuckled dryly. "Well…I was so scared that I asked her to marry me…and she was so shaken up that she said yes…then we were both so freaked out that we were gonna die that we went to a drive thru chapel and got married so…I've been better."

"You're married?" A very annoying and familiar voice said from the doorway. Nick and Greg turned around and saw Hodges standing in the doorway. "Who would marry you Sanders?" Hodges asked in disbelief.

Greg and Nick looked at each other in dread. Oh no…the nose knew. They knew if the nose knew it wouldn't be good to know for anyone else who knew…oh no.

"Uh…" Greg said dumbly and Nick sighed.

"What do you need Hodges?"

"To know who Sanders tricked into marrying him."

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

"Good, then get outta here." Nick barked and Hodges went scurrying off.

Greg sighed in dismay and shook his head. "It'll be all over the lab by lunch."

"I don't doubt that."

"Man! Whoever said that love was not a game should be shot." Greg declared and Nick chuckled.

"Funny, Anna says the same punishment should be given to the bastard who invented pantyhose." Nick smiled and stared off into the distance, a sparkle in his eye as he thought about her. Greg looked up and gave him a look as if to say,_ 'Quit thinkin about her and help me out here!'_

Greg sighed and regained Nick's attention. "Nick…what do I do?" Greg asked desperately. Nick felt his heart go out to the younger man he considered a brother and sighed.

"You can't do anything Greg. Everyone was going to find out eventually…you just have to take it and stay strong…I'll get Warrick and Catherine to help ward off some of the limelight and then bring it onto Catherine." Nick smirked and Greg let out a soft chuckle.

"Poor Catherine, she _hates_ being in the limelight." They joked, knowing full well their good friend **thrived** on attention from the public eye.

Nick shook his head. "Yeah well…she's the last thing you got right now. I'll try to suppress some of the rumors to keep your stress level down…until them you might want to take some time off and schedule in a tiny thing Newlyweds such as yourself call a honeymoon."

"Uh, Nick, Jen and I are so stressed right now, a good romp in the sack is the last thing on both our minds."

" Oh I know, you two have to take your two weeks oh Honeymoon to talk, and get to know each other. Since you spent the time you should have been doing that practicing for the Honeymoon, you get to make up for lost time." Nick gave a mock-evil smile and Greg moaned.

"Great…we don't even get a real Honeymoon. Man, I wish we had done the talking before and we could do the fun stuff now."

"Hey, talking can be fun."

Greg scoffed. "More fun than sex?"

Nick thought about it for a moment and a goofy grin spread across his face. "No one said you couldn't have sex Greg, she is your wife after all. Please her. But you two have some serious talking to do. But go for a good roll in the hay. A good screw can do wonders for a stressed body. Especially when it's from your wife."

"How do I know when to stop and…_decompress_?"

Nick chuckled and shook his head. "I don't know…whenever it feels right."

"How will I know when it feels right? Like every other hour?"

Nick chuckled nervously and shifted away from Greg. "Man, I don't know." He drawled. "Figure out your own sex schedule. It's your wife…if at any time you ever needed to feel relaxed about messing around with Jen…this would be it."

"Because it's not fooling around anymore." Nick nodded and Greg sighed. "Man, how did you get so wise about marriage? Do you have like…five wives somewhere?"

Nick laughed. "Nope. I just had a good example. And I'm like a pillar of continuous wisdom…or Buddha."

Greg chuckled. "Can I rub your tummy for good luck?"

"Dude, you ain't rubbin any part of me for good luck." Nick drawled holding up his hands in front of him. They both chuckled and looked up to see Anna standing in the doorway. She was smirking and she raised her brow.

"Hi boys. Hard at work?" She asked and both men blushed.

"Uh, go back to your lab Greggo and think about what I said."

Greg nodded and smiled and greeted Anna as he passed. She chuckled and patted him on the back as she leaned against the door frame and looked at him. He moved in front of the table to subtly cover the photos of the diner and Mac…

"Manly advice?" She asked and Nick chuckled.

"Somethin like that. What're you doin her Darlin?" He drawled and she smiled.

"I came to drop Regan off with Mr. Grissom for a while. We accidentally forgot about her bug project so I figured I'd bring her by when he got a spare moment."

Nick smiled and walked up to her and kissed her gently. She pulled back smiling and looked at his chest. She grabbed the collar of his lab coat and folded it down properly. "You look mighty fine in this lab coat Mr. Stokes."

"Why thank ya ma'am." He replied and she chuckled. "How'd the talk with Jen go?" He asked leaning against the side of the wall, slightly protruding in front of the door. She sighed and nodded slowly.

"It went fairly well…she cried a little bit. I told her she had to try to make this, um, whole situation, work-"

"You can say that she and Greg got married, the nose already found out…no doubt he's spread it to the entire lab and greater Las Vegas area by now."

"The nose…is that Hodges?" Nick nodded. "Well you better be glad it was me that heard the two of you and that 'rub my belly' nonsense, seriously, what's that about? I think I'm kinda jealous…wasn't it my job to give you a good rub down?" She joked and put her hands on his sides. Nick moved his hands to her waist and chuckled deeply.

"Yes, we tried that, every time we get that far something goes awry. And I don't think I can handle being teased any more."

She giggled and shook her head. "It's not my fault…at least not every time."

"Oh admit it Ms. Delmarco, you like teasing me."

"Not as much as I'd like other things…" She insinuated and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Nick let out a tiny moan and rested his head in her neck. Sure enough to the standard of horrible timing, the nose walked up to catch the little display.

"Stokes, aren't public displays of affection prohibited in the lab? Especially when around evidence and the second party isn't a member of the Las Vegas Crime Lab?" Hodges asked snidely. Nick glared and Anna turned around to face Hodges.

"You must be Hodges." She said simply and Hodges didn't bother to hide the fact that he was now checking her out. A smirk played on his lips and Nick involuntarily puffed out his chest and took a step forward. Anna reached back and wrapped her hand around his wrist, and held him in his place.

"And who are you?"

"Obviously not a member of the Las Vegas Crime Lab. Although seeing the employees here…I think I lucked out. But please, feel free to continue your journey down the hallway and ignoring us." She said pointedly at Hodges and sneered at him. Nick felt a surge of pride at her comebacks to the nose.

Hodges scowled at her and looked up at Nick. "You should get a muzzle for your girlfriend."

"Just let us borrow yours and we should be fine. Although I think your mouth may be bigger than mine, sticking your foot in it constantly, and all." She explained mock sweetly and Nick had to bite his tongue to keep from bursting out laughing. Hodges frowned and walked away. She turned to Nick and gave a guilty smirk. "Did I just get you in trouble?" She asked and Nick smiled and shook his head 'no'.

_Truthfully you probably did...but you look so damn cute and I feel so proud I really don't care. _

"No…bad day Baby?"

She chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Jen said that Greg told her about how much shit he puts everyone through…not to mention the horror stories I've heard from you and everyone else. Plus he was being an ass."

"It takes a strong woman to put Ecklie's Head Kiss Ass in place. You deserve a chocolate bar." Nick smiled and slid his arms back around her waist. She smiled, but then it fell and was replaced by a look of worry.

"Are you sure I didn't get you in trouble? He won't tell Ecklie?"

"Yeah, he probably will, but Ecklie's got a beef with me anyway."

"Why?" She asked curiously.

Kristy Hopkins flashed into his mind and he was once again reminded of how much Anna reminded him of her. That thought momentarily unnerved him, but he put on a smile anyway. "Cause I'm part of the nightshift...he hates the nightshift. He sees us as competition. And I'll tell you, the only time we're ever competition is when we're at the department softball games. And we cream their asses every time." He said smiling and she chuckled. Nick thought back quickly to Kristy and made a mental note to tell Anna some other time about Kristy...

"Well I need to let you get back to work."

"But now I'm distracted. Why'd you come by if you couldn't stay?"

"You weren't distracted before?"

"No." He lied and she chuckled.

"Whatever, and I can stay. I just figured you needed to get back to work...what're you working on?" She asked looking over his shoulder but not really seeing the photos.

He moved into her way so she couldn't see and smiled sweetly. "Confidential case stuff...sorry Baby."

She smiled and shook her head. "It's okay. I'm gonna go see how far Mr. Grissom and Regan have gotten."

"Alright, but see if we can get a babysitter tonight. I still want to take you out. I think Catherine has the night off...maybe you could see if she could take Raggs for a while and she and Linds can hang for a while." While Nick would have normally not minded that Regan would come, he was planning this night to be special...

She nodded and walked back towards Grissom's office where she had left Regan. Nick watched her go and smiled as he ducked back into the lay out room to finish his work.

**

* * *

A/N: yes, yes I know...seriously long update...sorry. And the date will be in the next chapter. And prepare to dive deeper into the Greg and Jen situation...plus I'm foreseeing some Geeklove quandaries ahead. Possibly YOBLING...I'm not quiet sure yet...**


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